The Umuana Clan in Umuogbuagu community, Enugu Ezike, in Igboeze North Local Government Area Enugu State have appealed to Enugu State Governor, Dr Peter Mbah and the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr. Olukayode Egbetokun, to avert looming break down of law and order following alleged constitution review by certain group of people in the area.
The Umuana Clan, are specifically asking the Enugu State Governor, Dr Mbah, to order the suspension of the purported Reviewed Constitution, while asking the IGP, to prevail on the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, to investigate the people behind the controversial Constitution review, which is generating bad blood in the community.
Addressing news in Onitsha, spokesman of Umuana Clan, Mr. Moses Ifeuwa, who was flanked by other members of their clan alleged that the names and signatures of four of their dead brothers who were not members of a purported Constitution Review Committee, were inserted in the purported reviewed constitution, while the Chairman and Secretary who presided on the exercise did not sign the document.
They listed the names of their dead brothers whose names and signature appeared in the purported Reviewed Constitution as Cyprain Idokoja, Gilbert Alli, Frederick Apeh, and Mr Silas, who died many years ago before the controversial exercise.
The Umuana Clan are therefore, angry that no member of their clan living signed the revised constitution wondering why it is only the names of their dead brothers whose children or siblings were not even members of the Constitution Review Committee, appeared as signatories to the controversial constitution.
According to Mr. Ifeuwa, “Our community is an autonomous community, our traditional ruler is dead, we have somebody acting as the Regent, in our place, we call him Onochie to the seat of the traditional ruler, he acts until a new traditional ruler emerges, we have President General, and we have eminent men in our community including the first graduate in the community, none of them signed the purported Reviewed Constitution.
“Many years back, we have constitution that have been guiding us, but recently out of reasons we don’t know, because we were not there when they planned it, some people said they are reviewing our constitution. We have however discovered that it is a deliberate gang up of some men who wants to hijack the community or take control of the community.
“We are not bothered about what they want to do with their purported reviewed constitution, we do not know the reason for the constitution review, what we are against is putting the names of our dead brothers and signing for them, when they have all died many years ago before the purported Constitution Review.
“Why must they insert the names and sign signatures of four of our brothers who are dead many years ago, who were not part of the purported Constitution Review, their children and siblings were not part of the review, but the people behind the controversial exercise inserted their names and went ahead to sign something as their signatures.
“Why are the living members of the community or members of Umuana Clan not part of signing of the purported Reviewed Constitution. The so called Chairman and the Secretary of the Constitution Reviewed Committe are living, they did not sign, all the people that are still living have not signed, only the dead have signed. And funny enough, they inserted ‘Late’ before their names and we begin to ask where did they meet the dead people to sign the document?
“We are also angry that when we asked them what they are trying to do in the community with their Reviewed Constitution, they were bold enough to tell us in our faces that the Constitution will remain as they have done it with the names of our late brothers.
“We therefore, want Nigerians to know that some people want to cause break down of law and order in our community by publishing an illegally non-existent Reviewed Constitution. They have even pronounced us, the Umuana Clan banished from the community and that we must meet some conditions they set for us to be part of the community again.
“As we are talking with you now some of us have been marked as target. Our lives are under threat. They can do any harm they like to us. I have been called and invited for questioning by some security agents but I told them to arrest me and my brothers anywhere they see us if we have committed any crime or if we are involved in any offense. We cannot respond to such telephone invitation.”
Asked what they feel are the reasons or motives for the Constitution Review, he said that they are lost on what the motive could be, but noted that the community is preparing for selection of a new traditional ruler, but their people, Umuana Clan, who are not holding any position in the community leadership, have not indicated any interest for the traditional rulers seat.
“We had Igwe before he died and we have Constitution that brought him. So everything in our community have been stated in the Constitution and even before we were born, but now they have converged and created their own Constitution. The old Constitution favoured everybody in the community, so we don’t know the reason for Constitution Review, and our knowledge about Constitution Review is that it is always agreed by everybody in the community before it is done. It is not imposed on the people.
“We are therefore, appealing to the Governor of Enugu State Dr. Peter Mbah, to order the suspension of the purported Reviewed Constitution and revert to the old one, while the Inspector General of Police Mr. Olukayode Egbetokun, should prevail on the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, to investigate the natter and call the people behind the Constitution Review to order as they are already using it to banish any dissenting voice, an act that is capable of causing break down of law and order.
“We have told them one month ago that if they want to press us down as a clan, they should remove the names of our late brothers in their purported Reviewed Constitution, so that if they do anything wrong with it, their children or their male siblings will not be held responsible.”
