The immediate past President-General of Amankanu Ohofia Oduma Town Union in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, Rev. Dr. David E. C. Okoro, has called on the state government to intervene in the ongoing leadership dispute in the community, insisting that the tenure of the Town Union Caretaker Committee has legally expired.
Okoro made the appeal in a message addressed to the Enugu State Commissioner for Local Government and Rural Development, Barr. C.O.C. Egumgbe, urging the state government to ensure that justice prevails in the leadership process in Amankanu.
In the message, the former President-General appealed to the commissioner not to take offence at the numerous communications from concerned community members, describing them as legitimate calls for justice.
“Please, do not take it hard on us if we bug you with write-ups, voice notes or calls on the subject matter in Amankanu Ohofia Oduma. Those means of communication are calls for justice. We aren’t volatile,” he said.
Okoro stated that the tenure of the Amankanu Town Union Caretaker Committee officially ended at 11:59 p.m. on March 9, 2026, stressing that the 2025 Amended Laws for Town Unions in Enugu State do not provide for tenure extension.
“For the records, my esteemed Commissioner, the tenure of the Amankanu people Town Union Caretaker Committee ended 11:59 p.m., March 9, 2026. The 2025 Amended Laws for Town Unions in Enugu State have no provision for tenure extension. Section 43 refers,” he said.
He explained that in October 2025, the caretaker committee constituted an Electoral Committee which was approved by the community during an emergency meeting held at Eke Ndieke.
However, he alleged that the process was later disrupted.
“Painfully, sir, Chief Dubem Ekpete unilaterally and single-handedly dissolved the Electoral Committee and handpicked his personal assistant, and Chief Shadrach Ekene Ekpete’s personal driver and manager in Enugu, Akachukwu Agụ, as Chairman of the Screening Committee. The outcome of such ‘screening’ is obvious,” Okoro stated.
He further recalled that a similar controversy had occurred in the community in 2017, when Chief Innocent Okorie Ekpete was allegedly installed as a traditional ruler in circumstances that remain the subject of ongoing litigation.
“On December 1, 2017, Ekene Ekpete’s father, Chief Innocent Okorie Ekpete, gathered the same set of persons at the same tiny dusty village hall of Chief Dubem, in an event sponsored by Shadrach Ekene Ekpete, where he was purportedly installed as ‘Igwe Innocent Okorie Ekpete, the Amandu I of Amankanu Ohofia Oduma.’ That matter is still in court and is coming up for cross-examination on March 12, 2026,” he said.
Okoro urged the state government to restore order by ratifying the earlier electoral committee and ensuring that a credible Town Union election is conducted.
“Ratify the Electoral Committee set up last October, make necessary replacements in collaboration with the elders, stakeholders and the youths, and set aside every arrangement, including the purported Igwe election or screening chaired by Akachukwu Agụ,” he appealed.
He also called for an investigation into how a “hierarchy or titular constitution” relating to the community was allegedly forwarded to the ministry for gazetting.
“Investigate the source of the document and who forwarded the hierarchy or titular constitution to the ministry for gazetting, because there must be a forwarding letter that accompanied the purported constitution,” he said.
Okoro further urged authorities to fix a date for a fresh Town Union election to enable the community elect a substantive leadership.
“Give the Amankanu Ohofia indigenes a date for Town Union elections to produce a substantive Town Union government in Amankanu,” he added.
The former President-General expressed hope that the meeting scheduled for March 11, 2026, would help resolve the dispute and allow justice to prevail.
“Finally, my Honourable Commissioner, let tomorrow’s meeting be a springboard for all truths and justice to prevail over unguided desperation and imposition,” he said.
He also questioned the legitimacy of claims surrounding the traditional leadership in the community.
“How can a biological father and his son be Igwe-elects of Amankanu Ohofia at the same time?” he asked.
