By NNAMDI OJIEGO
Following the traditional stool crisis rocking the Awo Mbieri Autonomous Community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, the community has restated that Nze Oliver Nwaozuzu is not its Eze-elect and warned him to stop parading himself as such.

The community also asked the general public to disregard the rumour that Nze Nwaozuzu was kidnapped and money given to his abductors to kill him after election to the traditional throne of the community and called on the security agents to thoroughly investigate the matter.

The community in a  statement through its apex body, Awo Mbieri Autonomous Community Progressive Union, AMACPU and signed by the President General and the General Secretary, Mr J.N.J Ewurum and Mr Chiemeka Eronini respectively, described as embarrassing, the attitude of Nze Nwaozuzu which it said was portraying the community in a bad light.

“To put the record straight, Nze Oliver Nwaozuzu is neither the Eze-elect nor the monarch of Awo-Mbieri Ancient Kingdom. He did not apply for the Ezeship form. He was not screened and identified when the community conducted an election on March 2011 to fill the vacant Ezeship stool created by the death of HRH Eze Dr. Emma Umez-Eronini.

“The only recorgnised Eze-elect of our community is Dr C.A.C Eronini. He was duly screened and selected as the Eze-elect and his name was forwarded to the appropriate authority for recognition on March 29, 2011.

AMACPU noted that neither the union nor the governing body of Awo-Mbieri participated in the purported election in which Nwaozuzu was elected because; “there is an existing and subsisting election into the Ezeship stool on 27th March 2011 where Chief Dr. C.A.C. Eronini was elected and presented for recognition as the Eze and Traditional Ruler of our community, in exact accordance with the provisions of Awo Mbieri Constitution.

“This election has neither been challenged nor set aside by any Court of competent jurisdiction. Furthermore the Eze Sir. J.O. Muruako led panel has not given the community one single reason why the election was set aside.

“There is a directive to the chairman of the panel H.R.H Eze Sir J.O. Muruako (KSJ) from the office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Imo State to stay further action on the proposed election fixed for the 4th May 2012 following a protest from the leadership of Awo Mbieri. So, the purported election was conducted in contravention of government directive”, the statement noted.

On the alleged kidnapping saga, the community said the story told so far by Nwaozuzu has been incoherent, mischievous, misleading and unfounded, and amounting to a story full of sound and fury and signifying nothing.”