Chief Barth Nwibe has congratulated Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha, on his 23rd Ofala festival, which also marked his 23 years on the revered Onitsha traditional stool.
Nwibe, an aspirant for the Nov.18, 2025 Governorship Election in Anambra, gave the commendation in a message on Saturday.
Nwibe, a businessman and philanthropist, said Achebe was an epitome of royalty and a traditional ruler who had attracted respect to the institution not just from Anambra but the entire Nigeria and across the world.
He thanked God for sustaining the life and health of Achebe, for the years he had mediated between the ancestors and people of Onitsha, and more importantly, giving him the wisdom with which he had discharged his duty.
The Labour Party governorship aspirant condemned the dissolution of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council (ASTRC), the umbrella body of the traditional ruler of communities in the state, of which Igwe Achebe was Chairman.
He said the role of the traditional institution was crucial and instead of dismissing them for political reasons, as was done to ASTRC, they should be made partners in the quest for solution to the numerous societal challenges.
According to him, he condemns the overbearing influence of Anambra government in traditional institutions and community leadership.
He said that the “politicisation of the processes of their emergence was responsible for the crisis in most communities”.
He commended the people of Onitsha for their strong traditional institution they had maintained over the years, while praying for God’s continued grace and guidance upon Igwe Achebe in many years to come.
“On behalf of me and my family, I wish to congratulate you on your 23rd Ofala and pray for many more years in the throne,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Igwe Achebe, in his Ofala message, said that ASTRC had been unable to meet to deliberate on matters of interest to the state since March this year.
According to him, this is on the pretext that the council, which was constituted and hitherto supervised by the state government, has suddenly become illegal.
Achebe said besides the inability of ASTRC to meet, the state traditional institution, consequently, had no mandate to participate in the affairs of the nation’s traditional institution at national or subnational levels.
“This is most unfortunate at this period that other states as well as the Federal Government and the National Assembly, are seriously seeking ways to enhance the relevance of the traditional institution in the country,” he said.(NAN)
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