A fresh wave of tension has gripped Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom in Aniocha South Local Council of Delta State following strong condemnation by the Ogwashi-Uku Town Union (OTU) of a communiqué issued by a faction of the Ogwashi-Uku Development Association (ODA), which accused the traditional ruler, His Royal Majesty, Obi Ifechukwude Aninshi Okonjo II, of alleged high-handedness.
The factional ODA group, after a purported town hall meeting, accused the monarch of directing farmers to seek palace permission before engaging in farming activities and threatened to declare some quarters and villages in the kingdom as autonomous communities.
But in a strongly worded statement issued at the weekend, the OTU leadership dismissed the communiqué as “expired, compromised, and completely without authority to speak for the people of Ogwashi-Uku,” warning that the tone of the document was “dangerously provocative,” especially as the community prepared for its sacred Ineh (New Yam) Festival, a period traditionally devoted to peace and thanksgiving.
The statement, signed by OTU Acting President-General Mr Francis Osude and Secretary Mr Nkem Charles, described the communiqué as the handiwork of “self-serving individuals attempting to incite unrest after years of betrayal and land racketeering.”
“The ODA has no capacity within Ogwashi-Uku. Traditional authority in our kingdom rests with His Royal Majesty, Obi (Dr) Ifechukwude Aninshi Okonjo II, and the Obi-in-Council. None of these chiefs or legitimate representatives of the people participated in the so-called meeting,” the statement said.
The OTU further alleged that some of the signatories to the communiqué are currently facing serious criminal charges.
The union accused the factional group of being behind the fraudulent sale of hundreds of acres of communal land worth hundreds of millions of naira, property which the Obi has since reclaimed through court-backed processes.
In response to allegations that farmers must seek palace permission to cultivate, the union described the claim as “a deliberate falsehood,” clarifying that the directive only applies to farmlands within estates recovered through court rulings, ensuring proper coordination and security.
“No citizen of Ogwashi-Uku has been stopped from legitimate farming. His Majesty encourages all farmers to farm freely and peacefully,” the statement read.
