By Ngwuoke Ngwuoke

The traditional Prime Minister of Akpakwume autonomous Community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, Rt. Hon. Livinus Okolo, has said that he was not involved in the alleged attack on the palace of the traditional ruler of the Community, Igwe Nwokolo Odenigbo.

Reports on social media within the week quote the traditional ruler of alleging that Okolo led an attack on his palace on the 23rd of this month.

Reacting to the allegations, Okolo, also known as Zion, told newsmen in Enugu that there is no iota of truth in the accusations. Okolo, who holds the traditional title of Ebekue Dike said he played a major role in the election and installation of the traditional ruler, Igwe Nwokolo Odenigbo and has for the past eight years been supporting his upkeep, both in cash and kind.

“I hereby state categorically that the allegations are false, baseless and laughable. “I was away to Abuja 5 days before the day of the incident and came back only a few days ago. How could I have led an assault on the Igwe whose installation I sponsored?

“When the traditional stool of Akpakwume became vacant following the demise of the former traditional ruler, I was one of those that stood behind Nwokolo Odenigbo Ekwueme. We gave him all the support he needed and eventually he defeated other contestants and became the traditional ruler of Akpakwume Ancient Kingdom. “To demonstrate my support for him, since his installation, I have been paying him N100,000 every month to support his upkeep in addition to other basic needs. “How can I turn back to fight the man I helped to install as traditional ruler”, he asked.

In answer to a question, Okolo said after the installation, the traditional ruler appointed him traditional Prime Minister adding that for the past eight years he has been working amicably with the Igwe.

What went wrong in the relationship? Okolo said: “I started having problems with the Igwe when I disagreed with him on a memorandum of understanding he signed with an Abuja-based company for the lease of over 5,000 acres of land for planting of palm trees. “I disagreed with the Igwe because we found out that the company has a different motive for desiring the land. Mineral resources have recently been discovered in our area and the company wanted to use the palm trees to cover up their real intention of mining the mineral deposits illegally.

“Not only that. We sold a plot of land in that area for N40,000 in 2012 and in 2024 they are selling a plot of land in the same area a little above N12,000. “I immediately smelt a rat and communicated my fears and suspicions to the Igwe but he did not see reasons with me. That was how I fell out of his favour”.

Okolo explained that because the traditional ruler saw him as a stumbling block he decided to reshuffle his cabinet and replace him as Prime Minister alongside other cabinet members. “I understood that was what he was planning to do on that day. Remember, I told you I was away to Abuja. I understood that he planned to announce a new Prime Minister on that day but the youth resisted the move because it was against the provisions of our town constitution which stipulates that the office of the Prime Minister is for life. “The resistance let to the destruction of property worth millions of naira with two of my houses also destroyed and lives endangered.

“The allegations by the traditional ruler are false and designed to tarnish my image.

“As a matter of fact, when I heard about the incident, I contacted the Enugu state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs as well as the State Police Command. The Police later sent their men to the community.

“I hereby call on His Excellency, Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, the Executive Governor of Enugu State to disregard the allegations as there are no truths in them. “I also call on the Governor to set up a high powered independent Committee to investigate and get to the root of the matter”, Okolo said.

A youth leader in the community, Nnadozie Akpaturu, confirmed to journalists in a separate interview that Chief Livinus Okolo was not privy to the incident. “We the young people heard that the Igwe was planning to reconstitute his cabinet and remove the Onowu and we protested. “We have a constitution how things should be done in the community and what the Igwe set out to do was against the constitution so we resisted it. “It is not true that Zion sent us. Zion did not send anyone to Igwe’s palace.

Akpaturu showed newsmen the injuries he sustained during the incident.

Nnadozie also said that many youths sustained different degrees of injuries on the process.

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