I'm the legitimate Obi of Onitsha - Odukwe

His Royal Majesty, HRM, Lawrence Goddie Ubaka Odukwe, a prominent member of Ogbeoza Village of Umueze Aroli quarter, Onitsha, Anambra state, the quarter that produces Obi of Onitsha, has declared himself the legitimate Obi of Onitsha.

He said that contrary to the general belief that Obi Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe is the Obi of Onitsha, it is himself that is the current Agbogidi, the 21st Obi of Onitsha.

Addressing participants in his palace on Monday, during his annual cultural New Yam (Iwaji) festival, Odukwe noted that he had the pleasure to declared himself the Obi of Onitsha based on two reasons.

He noted that one of the reasons was that he won Achebe in the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu and secondly, Achebe is from Ogbendida village which was banned by their fore-fathers from producing the Obi of Onitsha, as a result of an abominable act they allegedly committed in the olden days.

Odukwe who brandished a Certified True Copy, CTC of the Appeal Court judgement which went in his favour, against Achebe, said since after the judgement which set aside the judgement of Onitsha High Court that earlier dismissed his application to restrain Achebe from parading himself as the Obi of Onitsha, he has been the legitimate or authentic Obi of Onitsha.

Declaring himself as Agbogidi and 21st Obi of Onitsha, Odukwe maintained that since 2007 when he obtained the Appeal Court judgement, he had continued to celebrate his annual cultural festivals like New yam and Ofala on yearly basis, pending when the Supreme Court will hear and determine Achebe's appeal against the3 subsisting Appeal Court judgement.

He recalled that the fore-fathers of Umueze Aroli quarter which comprises Ogbeozala, Umuaroli and Ogbendida villages had unianimously banned Ogbendida where Achebe comes from, from producing Obi of Onitsha because of certain abomination they committed in the olden days.

According to him, "I won Achebe at the Appeal Court and that victory is still subsisting because legal battle in the so-called notice of appeal filed by Achebe at the Supreme Court has not even commenced since 2007 till date and it is not my responsibility to compel the Supreme Court judges to commence hearing in the matter".

He blamed the present day Onitsha chiefs for going after money more than the core values, adding, "it is very sad that some of our present day chiefs love money more than our core values but our parents ,  though not educated as we are today, respected our value system more than money".

In the judgement, the Appellate Court had set aside the judgement of the lower court for erring in law when it struck out an application filed by Odukwe, against Achebe asking it to restrain Achebe from parading himself as the Obi of Onitsha.

In a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Jimi Olakayode Bada on behalf of two other judges of the Appellate court, Justices James Ogenyi Ogebe and Sotonye Denton-West, the Appellate court however stated that they were striking out the judgement of the lower court at no costs.
Re-published