A traditional ruler selection process turned violent in Mgbom N’Achara community, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State on Wednesday, May 1, 2025, as the Council Chairman, Chinonso Aja Consider, disrupted the peaceful electoral exercise, leading to the assault of a state government representative.
The incident, which took place at Mgbom Central School, Okposi, during the conduct of a community organized election for the Ezeship (traditional ruler), left several injured, including Mr. Chukwuma Uchebe, an aide representing the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Uchenna Igwe.
The exercise, according to residents, was proceeding orderly under the supervision of a community electoral committee headed by Dr. Aja Uwa, a university lecturer and legislative aide to a serving senator.
Eligible voters had been accredited and had begun lining up behind their preferred candidates, in accordance with the community’s traditional kindred-based voting method, when Hon. Chinonso Aja arrived at the venue with a personal entourage and forcefully took over the process.
The council chairman announced a sudden change in voting method, directing candidates to line up with their supporters—a move widely perceived as an attempt to skew the outcome.
When the crowd overwhelmingly queued behind a candidate believed to be unfavoured by the chairman, he abruptly declared the election cancelled, snatching the microphone to announce: “This election has been cancelled.”
Mr. Uchebe, acting in his official capacity as a state observer, protested the action, stating: “My mission here was to conclude the process and as long as it was conducive for me to do so, we should continue.”
What followed, eyewitnesses say, was a violent scene as Hon. Aja allegedly returned to the venue with armed thugs and physically assaulted the commissioner’s aide, seized official documents, and declared the exercise cancelled.
“The chairman beat the commissioner’s representative in broad daylight.
“It was shameful and an outright abuse of power,” an eyewitness claimed.
Some community leaders have since described the incident as “a disgraceful breach of public trust” and vowed to resist all efforts to impose an unpopular ruler on Mgbom N’Achara.
“This is not just a political issue it’s about the soul of our community,” said a prominent youth leader. “We will not accept a puppet imposed on us under the guise of authority.”
As at press time, the Ebonyi State Government is yet to release an official statemen on the incident, while Hon. Aja Consider declined comments.
