The people of Ihe n'Owerri autonomous Community in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State have elected a royal father after three years of bickering over the coveted stool in the University town.
The community has been in crisis over the traditional institution for three years after the death of their traditional ruler, Late John Attama which split the 35 villages that make up the autonomous community into different camps and groups and hindered other projects in the community .
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Youths of the autonomous community rose to the challenge to broker peace for a lasting solution to the three years by issuing two months ultimatum for one person among the two opponents to emerge as Igwe elect from the quarter that was to select the next traditional ruler of the community.
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The President-General of Youths, Mr. Fidelis Attama said that for three years, the community has been in deep crisis of who wears the royal crown of the community, explaining that the traditional institution is rotatory among the two quarters of the community.
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"We went to Enugu State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Pastor Emeka Abugu and told him that the crisis had lingered for so long and requested that he conducts an election for us to that effect. He gave us the mandate to convene a town hall meeting of the community for the purpose of selecting a traditional ruler elect," he explained.
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Mr. Attama told Saturday Vanguard that Ihe quarter of the community presented Ozioko George Asadu as the choice of the quarter and he was generally accepted by the entire autonomous community in the presence of the other contestant.
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"The selection of Ozioko George Asadu as the Igwe elect was most peaceful not minding the three years of bitterness. The next thing was to present him to the Chairman, Nsukka Local Government council, Mr. Tony Ugwu who will present him to the state government for installation as the full fledged monarch of Ihe n'Owerre autonomous community.
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Mr. Sunny Ngwu, a retired senior police officer expressed satisfaction with the peaceful selection of Ihe n'Owerre royal father which he noted was anchored on a statement he made at the town hall meeting that brokered the peace. He urged the community to remain an indivisible entity and set aside the three years of waste to move the community to an enviable height than trying to heat up the polity adding that the selection of Ozioko George Asadu was done before the elders.