Setting The Records Straight: Ngwoma Obube Did Not Have Traditional Stool Until Onukogu’s Emergence-Mike Nwachukwu

Following the claims and counter claims in respect of the Ngwoma Obube Ezeship tussle, Chief Mike Nwachukwu, a seasoned politician and retired Banked has accused one of the contestants to the throne and son of the late traditional ruler of the autonomous community, Prince Dr Andrew Onukogu and his handlers of being economical with the truth as regards historical facts.

Nwachukwu, who bared his mind in a release dated August, 10, 2025, which he personally signed, captioned, “SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT – NGWOMA OBUBE DID NOT HAVE A TRADITIONAL STOOL UNTIL DR. ANDREW ONUKOGU OF BLESSED MEMORY BECAME HRH EZE (DR.) ANDREW ONUKOGU, said, “So much has been written by those who want the first son of the late Eze (Dr.) Andrew Onukogu to succeed him as the Eze of Ngwoma Obube Autonomous Community.

To be clear I wish him well and if by the SPECIAL GRACE OF GOD, he is recognized as the Eze of Ngwoma Obube by the Imo State Government and given Staff of Office, we will join Nde Ngwoma to celebrate him.

However, there are some historical facts which his handlers have consistently distorted. This distortion of historical fact(s) bothers on the hereditary nature of Eze Onukogu’s Traditional Stool is what I have set out to correct to the best of my knowledge and ability.

I have taken this route, because as a Stakeholder in Obube (Ulakwo, Egbelu & Ngwoma +nde bi ama) Clan, I owe ourselves a responsibility to put up issues in our historical evolvement, particularly those that bother on Ezeship Stool in proper perspective. Another reason that I have taken it upon myself to address this distortion of facts is that it will become “a truth” in fifty or hundred years’ time if left unaddressed.

Quite right, some folks may say it is not my business but indeed it is all our business because “uwa anyasu”, the question that will be asked is what did this Chief or that Chief or that Honourable say, when they said it. And of course as we say in our local mythology “OGBARA NKITI EKWELA”.

Chief Stephen Ejelonu Onukogu was a very important figure Nde Obube in general and not just Ngwoma was blessed to have. He towered above his peers, had a network of very important friends and associates across Nigeria and played an important role in the creation of Imo State and making Owerri State Capital with most of the “secret” meetings held at his Ngwoma Home. The size of the shoe  he left was so large that none of his sons’ legs could fit into it!

Yet he was a Chief and not an Eze! He was neither HIS “ROYAL” HIGHNESS Eze nor HIS “ROYAL” HIGHNESS Chief Stephen Ejelonu Onukogu! And his own father was a (Warrant) Chief appointed by the British Colonial Authorities and not an Eze!

At that time too, the father of the present Eze of Ulakwo Obube was also a Warrant Chief – his Title was Ebubedike I of Ulakwo Obube. He was neither HIS “ROYAL” HIGHNESS Eze or HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS Chief Nnanna Oparaochaekwe.

So from WHENCE is this “ROYALTY” and “HEREDITARY STOOL”?

I am not from Ngwoma Obube and so do not have interest in who becomes their Eze nor do I have any influence whatsoever over who becomes their Eze but those advocating for Kemakolam Onukogu to succeed his late father should stop distorting historical facts further to their desire to make that happen!

POSER’S: If Onukogu’s stool was hereditary:

·Why did Nde Obube set up a 40-man Committee to select an Eze for Nde Obube when the Imo State Government under the military in 1978 wanted to create Autonomous Communities with Eze’s?

· Why wasn’t Dr. Andrew Onukogu crowned an Eze after the mourning period of his father?

·Why did he subject himself to the selection process between himself and Nnanna Oparaochaekwe after my father withdrew himself from the contest because he could not understand why he had to bribe people – even those from Egbelu (Umuokpaa, Umuchoko, Umugaah, Ugakwoche) to be nominated as Eze?

· Yes!, If it was hereditary, why did Dr. Andrew Onukogu come to my father with his late father’s wives (all wearing black) to plead with him to withdraw from the race to pave the way for him to become Eze?

· Yes!, If it was hereditary, why did Dr. Andrew Onukogu come to my father with his late father’s wives (all wearing black) to plead with him to withdraw from the race to pave the way for him to become Eze?

· As a matter of fact, in the ensuing contest between Raphael Nnanna Oparaochaekwe (now Ebubedike II of Ulakwo Obube) and Dr. Andrew Onukogu after my father withdrew, it was onye Egbelu Obube – either from Umuchoko or Umuokpaa (my own village) that nominated Dr. Andrew Onukogu to become EzeObube!

·So, if it was hereditary, why did onye Egbelu have to nominate him before the contest between himself and Nnanna Oparaochaekwe was put to vote?

And mind you, the 40 – man Committee was not set up to find a replacement “Eze” for the late Chief Stephen Ejelonu Onukogu, on the contrary it was set up in response to the 1978 Imo State Government Edict to formalise the recognition of Autonomous Communities as some form of a layer of government so the Government can talk to the people through their representatives to be called Eze!

It was a recalibration of the Warrant Chief System of the British Colonial Experiment (set up to help them enforce the collection of taxes) which was disbanded after the British left in 1960.

Ngwoma became an Autonomous Community by the withdrawal of Ulakwo and Egbelu from Obube Autonomous Community hence they became Ulakwo Obube Autonomous Community (even though they erroneously like to refer themselves as Ulakwo Owerri which is, in my view another misrepresentation designed to distort their origin – anyway, they are members of the “OBUBE “AMA ITOLU” and therefore Ulakwo Obube Autonomous Community), Egbelu Obube Autonomous Community and Ngwoma Obube Autonomous Community!

So when did this hereditary stool of the Onukogu family of Ngwoma Obube commence? Certainly not when “OBUBE “AMA ITOLU”  was one autonomous community before Ulakwo and Egbelu charted their own paths to become autonomous communities in Obube?

QUESTION: If Eze Andrew Onukogu passed away, when Egbelu was still part of his area of coverage as Eze, where do you think the successor would have come from? Ngwoma?, Onukogu family? Naaah! Of course it would have come from Egbelu!

As I stated  earlier, there is no doubt that Chief Stephen Ejelonu Onukogu was a very important figure nde Obube in general and not just Ngwoma was blessed to have, who towered above his peers, had a network of very important friends and associates across Nigeria and played an important role in the creation of Imo State and making Owerri State Capital with most of the “secret” meetings held at his Ngwoma Home. The size of the shoe  he left was so large that his son’s leg could not fit into it! Yet he was not an Eze and did not rule over any part of Obube! But he was a Very Important Personality (VIP) that everybody that is anybody in Obube and beyond paid attention  to!

Okay, for those touting the hereditary nature of the Onukogu Traditional Stool, who was the Okenze Obube under his Traditional Rulership and who were his Nze’s?

If Kemakolam Onukogu desires to succeed his late father as Eze, that is fine and within his rights. But himself and his handlers should present him to the discerning people of Ngwoma Obube and make a compelling and convincing case rather than rely on the distortion of the history of nde Obube. That approach and strategy will certainly not work”.