The Panel of Inquiry set up to investigate the protracted traditional stool dispute in Awka has reaffirmed Igwe Gibson Nwosu as the legitimate traditional ruler of the capital city.
The decision followed weeks of intensive sittings during which the panel reviewed 32 memoranda and heard 28 oral testimonies.
Presenting the report to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, the panel chairman, Paul Obidigwe, concluded that Obi Gibson Nwosu was never lawfully dethroned.
He noted that there were no valid grounds for his removal and that he was denied fair hearing, rendering the action unlawful, invalid, and of no legal effect.
The panel further described the situation as an affront to the state, declaring that Chief Austin Ndigwe was not properly selected and is illegitimately occupying the position.
According to the report, his emergence and enthronement violated due process and established legal procedures.
Receiving the findings, Governor Chukwuma Soludo said the government would carefully study the report and issue a White Paper to determine the next course of action.
He recalled that the state initially allowed the Awka community to resolve the dispute internally but stepped in only after being formally invited to intervene.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to the rule of law, Soludo stressed that Anambra must remain a state governed by order and legality.
He also cautioned that no community would be permitted to have more than one traditional ruler, while emphasizing that the resolution process would produce no victor and no vanquished.
