By ENITAN ABEL JOHNGOLD ORHERUATA, mnipr
An indigene of Egbudu-Akah community has called for unity and an end to the lingering kingship dispute, urging residents to respect their cultural heritage and the provisions of Nigeria’s Constitution regarding traditional practices and succession.
In a public statement shared with community members, the speaker clarified that the kingship dispute surrounding the late His Royal Majesty, Obi Paul Okolie II, was rooted in misunderstandings about traditional marriage customs—particularly the Levirate marriage practice, locally known as Igbulu Nanzo.
According to the statement, contrary to claims by some factions, the late monarch was indeed a legitimate child of Obi Okolie. The speaker noted that Levirate marriage, which allows a man to marry the widow of his relative to raise children in his name, has been a long-accepted practice in Egbudu-Akah and other Anioma communities.
He also reminded the community that the payment of a bride price has never been a prerequisite for royal marriages in Egbudu-Akah. He cited instances where Obi Okolie married three wives—Mrs. Franca from Ani-Efume, Mrs. Augustina from Kwale, and Mrs. Rose—during the Ikenga festival without courtship or parental consent, simply by placing a gold bracelet on their wrists, which, under tradition, sealed the marriage.
The speaker further explained that the community also recognizes Woman-to-Woman marriages, where a barren woman marries another woman to bear children on her behalf. Such marriages, he said, were socially accepted, and their offspring were fully integrated into society without discrimination.
Drawing from constitutional provisions, the speaker pointed out that Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) prohibits any form of discrimination based on circumstances of birth. He emphasized that customs or native laws contradicting the Constitution hold no legal weight in Nigeria.
“Let us not allow a handful of people to drag our community backward as if we are not part of Nigeria or the modern world,” he stated. “We know what the law says, so why waste resources on court cases that are destined to fail?”
He urged the community to rally behind the current monarch, His Royal Majesty, Obi Augustine Ezeagune Okolie III, noting that his name “Ezeagune,” meaning “successor to the throne of his ancestors,” was given to him at birth by his father, Obi Okolie, in acknowledgment of his destined leadership.
Calling for peace, unity, and progress, he appealed to residents to move beyond the dispute and support the monarch for the good of the community.