Ohaa Condemns Suspension of Enugu Monarch, Calls for Immediate Reversal

The Enugu State governorship candidate of the National Democratic Congress, Christian Chinyeaka Ohaa, has condemned the suspension of the traditional ruler of Ibagwa Opi Ogbozalla Autonomous Community in Nsukka Local Government Area, Igwe Willy Ezeugwu.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Sampson Ukwu, Ohaa described the suspension as a political witch-hunt and an assault on the traditional institution.

According to the statement, Ezeugwu was suspended after hosting the NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and later receiving Ohaa, who visited the monarch and members of his community to offer condolences over the recent kidnapping and deaths of some residents.

Ohaa's media office argued that receiving political figures and other visitors should not be grounds for disciplinary action against a traditional ruler, describing such action as an encroachment on traditional institutions and constitutional freedoms.

The statement also raised concerns over what it described as the erosion of the dignity and independence of traditional rulers, arguing that monarchs should remain able to receive political figures and other stakeholders regardless of their affiliations.

It further cited Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees citizens the right to peaceful assembly and association, and argued that penalising a traditional ruler over his associations could undermine those freedoms.

Ohaa's office also accused the Enugu State Government of politicising traditional institutions and warned that the use of chieftaincy laws to enforce political conformity could affect relations between traditional institutions, communities and the state government.

The governorship candidate called on the Enugu State Government to immediately reverse Ezeugwu's suspension and respect what he described as the autonomy, dignity and neutrality of traditional institutions across the state.

He also urged traditional rulers to remain able to promote unity, peaceful engagement and hospitality within their communities.