Oto Awori: Chief Peter Olikenyi Drops Ezendigbo Title

KINGSLEY EBERE 

The Igbo Speaking Community Board of Trustees recent declaration of Eze Elder Timothy Nwanoro as the authentic and recognized Ezendigbo in Oto Awori LCDA in Lagos State may have finally restored peace in the area over Igbo leadership crisis. 

P.M.EXPRESS reports that Chief Peter Olikenyi, who was formerly claiming to be the Ezendigbo in Oto Awori LCDA, has dropped the title to Onye-Isi-Ndigbo of Oto Awori LCDA.

This may be as a result of the declaration by the Igbo Speaking Community’s BOT led by their Chairman, Dr Jonathan Nnaji, that the Eze Udo title given to him  by late Eze Hyacinth Ohazuruike was a chieftaincy title because Eze cannot crown another Eze in Igbo land.

The startling revelations by the BOT Chairman, Dr Nnaji, has exposed the fact that those claiming to have been crowned Eze Udo by Eze Ohazuruike are actually are in the class of Chiefs and are not Ezendigbo.

Dr Nnaji may have also compounded Olikenyi’s woes by stating the fact that Olikenyi was not crowned Ezendigbo in Oto Awori LCDA by the Igbo Speaking community and he cannot claim to be Ezendigbo.

Eze Udo Peter Olikenyi, who has publicly declared that he is no longer Ezendigbo rather Onye-Isi-Ndigbo of Oto Awori LCDA, has expressed deep concern over what he described as a series of confusion-driven actions allegedly orchestrated by the BOT Chairman of the Igbo-Speaking Community, Jonathan Nnaji.

However, Dr Nnaji has reiterated that the BOT was determined to remove the bad eggs that are destroying the culture and tradition of Ndigbo by claiming fake names that are not recognized by Igbo culture.

Dr Nnaji disowned Olikenyi and made it clear that he is not the Ezendigbo in Oto Awori LCDA. He also clarified that the Board of Trustees does not install Eze Ndigbo; “what we do is to profile any Eze Ndigbo in Lagos that was installed without the knowledge of the BOT. The Board will check and ascertain if  due process was followed according to the constitution of the Igbo Speaking Community, which BOT is the custodian”. .

Dr Nnaji categorically stated that Eze Peter Olikenyi is not the Ezendigbo of Oto Awori. He also stated that the Igbo Speaking Community does not crown Eze Udo.

This submission of Dr Nnaji may have informed the decision of Chief Peter Olikenyi to drop the Ezendigbo title and revert to Onye Isi Ndigbo, though he claimed that it was a directive from traditional rulers from the Southeast, which has nothing to do with the Igbo Speaking Community’s constitution.