Soludo Shuns Ofala Festival as rift with Obi of Onitsha deepens

The crisis between the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Soludo, and the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, has taken a worse turn. The governor, who has been a regular guest at the annual  Onitsha Ofala Festival, shunned the 2024 edition on Friday. While as a guest last year, Soludo had promised to partner […]

The crisis between the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Soludo, and the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, has taken a worse turn.

The governor, who has been a regular guest at the annual  Onitsha Ofala Festival, shunned the 2024 edition on Friday.

While as a guest last year, Soludo had promised to partner with the monarch to boost the festival but things fell apart after Soludo suspended Igwe Ezeani of Neni who conferred title on the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who was planning to challenge Soludo’s reelection before he died in September.

The Anambra government suspended him alongside two, drawing the ire of Obi of Onitsha, Chairman of Traditional Rulers Council in Anambra.

In an open letter to the state government, Achebe accused Soludo of not respecting traditional institutions in the state.

Soludo later conveyed a meeting at the Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia, Awka South Local Government Area of the state, where he waved olive branch.

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Speaking at the lates edition of Ofala festival, Achebe accused Soludo of undermining the traditional institution in the state.

He said while other states in Nigeria were working towards enhancing the relevance of traditional institutions, Anambra’s is being diminished.

Achebe said he was surprised to discover that the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council (ASTRC), which he headed, had been dissolved and labeled an illegal group.

He stated, “This is most unfortunate at a time when other states, as well as the Federal Government and the National Assembly, are seriously seeking ways to enhance the relevance of the traditional institution in the country.”

He further lamented the ASTRC’s inability to convene to discuss matters of interest to the state, resulting in the traditional institution’s lack of mandate to engage in national or sub-national affairs.

Providing background, Achebe stated, “On January 12, 2024, I was compelled to address a public letter to the Honourable Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs of Anambra State in my capacity as Chairman of the ASTRC. My letter was in response to the suspension of the traditional ruler of Neni and the demand for apologies from two other traditional rulers, communicated via social media by the Ministry.

“Both correspondences generated considerable attention on social media, leading to the discontinuation of the ASTRC’s monthly meetings by the government since March 2024, under the pretext that the ASTRC, previously supervised by the State Government, had suddenly become illegal.”

The governor is yet to react to the the latest issue.