The President of the Igbo Speaking Community, Lagos State, Chief Sunday Udeh, has debunked the malicious publication of purported commercialization and destruction of Igbo culture and tradition, stating that Ezendigbo title is recognized by law in Nigeria.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that Chief Udeh explained that the Igbo Community was established by the Act of Parliament and empowered to crown Ezendigbo and issue certificate in line with the Constitution of the Igbo Speaking Community.
Chief Udeh stated this on the heel of a malicious publication by an online media outlet stating that Udeh abused the customs and commercialized the Ezendigbo title in the State.
Udeh explained that he crowned Ezendigbo in line with the Constitution of the Igbo Speaking Community and issued certificate of recognition to that effect as the President General of the Igbo Speaking Community.
However, he noted that there are other groups including self acclaimed Kingmakers, who indiscriminately crowned Ezendigbo in the State which made it difficult for the members of the public to know the real and fake Ezendigbo in Lagos State.
The embattled Chief Udeh stated that the title of Ezendigbo will be sanitized in order to separate the real from the fake in order to uphold the traditional institution of Ndigbo in diaspora.
He debunked and cast aspersion on the online media outlet, which maliciously claimed that there was no peace in the Igbo Speaking Community and stated that the community is united under his leadership as the President General.
Chief Udeh also explained that the crowning of more than one Ezendigbo in a Local Council was in line with the needs because of the population of Ndigbo in that particular LCDA. And it was the decision of the National Executive Committee that resolved to do so because of the population of Ndigbo in the State for proper representation.
On his detention concerning the Obi of Lagos matter, Chief Sunday Udeh insisted that he does not know anything about the coronation and launching of N1.5b palace of Obi of Lagos. He explained that he only issued certificate of Obi Ndigbo of Lagos, which was in line with the constitution of the Igbo Speaking Community.
He stated that he was still surprised how he was mentioned to have committed an offence with the order issued for his arrest and detention by the Police and the Court.
Since Chief Udeh was arrested and detained, there has been reactions by Ndigbo. Many have been asking what offence he committed because the crowning of Ezendigbo is purely an Igbo affair and does not involve other ethnic groups.
Many members of the Igbo community have questioned the validity of the charges against him, stating the crowning is strictly an Igbo matter.
According to Ndigbo, the detention of Chief Sunday Udeh appears to have given rise to recent suspicion on how Igbos are being treated in Lagos especially after the 2023 General Elections, where it was perceived that Igbos voted for other presidential candidates rather than the candidate from the ruling party, the APC.
Meanwhile, the Court has adjourned till 17th November, 2025, for the arraignment of Chief Udeh and others in connection with the issue of Obi of Lagos matter.