By Celephina Onovo
This year’s Mbaise new yam festival has been technically cancelled. It will not longer hold by all the clans together as was the case in the past.
The five clans that make up Mbaise Nation normally celebrate their new yam festival popularly called Ji-Mbaise every August 15 in a manner that brings every of their kit and kin, both those at home and in the Diaspora together.
But this year’s event will not hold as one event because of the alleged selfish inclination of some traditional rulers from the area who were said to have wanted to capitalise of the special day in the life of every Mbaise son and daughter to confer an undeserving chieftaincy title on the son in law of Governor Rochas Okorocha, Uche Nwosu.
Nwosu is Okorocha’s chief of staff and the man the governor is desperate to impose on Imo state as his successor against the wish of the people.
Report said a few Mbaise monarchs had struck a deal with the said Nwosu who is also a governorship aspirant under a controversial circumstance in his All Progressive Congress, and his political herrings from Mbaise, to confer on him a chieftaincy title purporting to have the seal of the Ofo of all the five clans that make up Mbaise Nation.
When the deal struck in the dark came to the open, prominent sons and daughters of Mbaise at home and in the Diaspora kicked against the contraption, more so as the said Nwosu is not known to the people, not to talk of what he had done in the area either directly or indirectly.
It emerged that the traditional rulers from the area pushing the conferment of the chieftaincy title were politically exposed ones who have sold their consciences to some politicians in Imo state and beyond and could do anything to denigrate their traditional stool over filthy lucre. It was even allege that they collected money in millions of naira as trade off for the chieftaincy title.
Indication that Ji-Mbaise 2018 may not be held the way it used to be started emerging a fortnight ago when Mbaise sons and daughters at home and in the Diaspora began to assembly signatures over the emerging development and canvassing opinions about what to do to save the situation.
In the process, thousands of signatures were collected with virtually all supporting that the so-called chieftaincy title be aborted as a way of preserving the integrity of such honours that emanate from the area.
Ezurezu Mbaise, the highest decision making organ of the Mbaise Nation was therefore asked to wade in and do the needful which led to the suspension of this year’s Ji-Mbaise hitherto being celebrated centrally.
According to a statement from Ezurezu Mbaise, all the autonomous communities in Mbaise have been mandated to celebrate their new yam in their respective domain as opposed to the initial centrally celebrated Ji-Mbaise.
The statement was signed by Bar, Cyril Anyanwu (President- General) and Hon. Oliver Ewerene (Secretary General) of Ezurezu Mbaise.