Tension is rising in Umuchigbo Iji Nike Autonomous Community in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, as hundreds of indigenes have protested the alleged imposition of a traditional ruler.

They warned that the development could spark crisis if the government failed to organise a transparent election.

The protesters, who converged on the community square at the weekend, rejected the alleged emergence of Mr. Jude Agu as the community’s traditional ruler, insisting that Umuchigbo Iji Nike currently has no recognised Igwe and that only a credible election conducted in line with the community’s constitution can produce a legitimate monarch.

They appealed to Governor Peter Mbah to direct the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development to conduct an election without further delay, saying it was the only way to preserve peace and avert what they described as an avoidable crisis.

The protest followed reports that Agu had been presented as the traditional ruler of the community, a development the demonstrators described as unconstitutional and capable of undermining the peace of the area.

The protesters also cited a subsisting interlocutory injunction issued by the Enugu State High Court restraining Agu from parading himself as the Igwe or Igwe-elect of the community pending the determination of a substantive suit.

The order, delivered on July 25, 2025, by Justice A.A. Onovo in Suit No. E/491/2023, filed by Chief Maurice Nonyelum Ekete against Jude Agu and Hon. Kenneth Mbah, directed all parties to maintain the status quo until the case is determined.

According to the protesters, recognising any individual as the traditional ruler without an election will amount to a breach of both the community’s constitution and the subsisting court order.

Speaking to reporters, a community elder, Chief Gabriel Okoh, accused the former Town Union Chairman, Kenneth Mbah, of frustrating an earlier process to elect a traditional ruler.

“Umuchigbo people are against imposition. All we want is an election. If Jude Agu wants to be Igwe, he should come to the village square and contest like every other aspirant,” Okoh said.

The community’s youth leader, Anthony Anike, warned that imposing a monarch against the wishes of the people could trigger avoidable unrest.

“The matter is still in court, yet we are hearing that someone has received a staff of office. We will pursue every legal means to protect our rights. The government should come and conduct a transparent election before this situation degenerates,” he said.

On behalf of other aspirants, retired Permanent Secretary, Chief Maurice Ekete, maintained that the community’s constitution provided that an Igwe must emerge through a transparent electoral process.

“Our demand is simple. Let the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs conduct an election as it has done in other communities. Whoever wins should become the Igwe. We are not against anybody becoming Igwe. We are only saying anyone who wants the throne should submit to a transparent election,” Ekete said.

Other aspirants, Chief Joseph Iloka and Chief Josephat Ezeoha, also backed the call for a transparent election, insisting that the people should be allowed to freely choose their traditional ruler without interference.

Efforts to obtain the reaction of Enugu State Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development were unsuccessful at press time.