Umuoji Community, in Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra State, may be on the threshold of another crisis over the election of the Executive Committee of Umuoji Community.
Citizens, under the auspices of Umuoji Progressive Movement (UPM), raised the alarm in a petition addressed to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), ZONE 13, Ukpo, the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Police Command, and the Director of the Department of State Security (DSS), Awka.
The petition was signed by Chief J.N. Okongwu of Okongwu, Okongwu & Associates Chambers on behalf of the Movement.
Chief Okongwu raised concerns on the looming “impending crisis in Umuoji over the insistence of Chief Ifeanyi Cyril Muoemenam to conduct election into the Executive Committee of Umuoji Community in spite of the advice of the Honourable Attorney General of Anambra State to the Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Local Government, Town Union Matters and Chieftaincy Affairs, for the election to be suspended until the constitution of Umuoji Community is amended according to the wishes of the majority members of Umuoji Community restoring the constitutional rights of the members of the community to democratically elect its leaders”.
Writing on behalf of Chief Peter Ngige, from Dimboko village, Umuoji, who is the convener Umuoji Progressive Movement, Okongwu noted that in the year 2021, the President General of Umuoji Improvement Union of Nigeria, Chief Cyril Ifeanyi Muoemenam, amended the constitution of the Community.
Chief Ifeanyi Muoemenam then used the instrumentality of the constitution to elect himself to office as the President General of Umuoji Community.
Upon critical examination of the said constitution of Umuoji community after various complaints from majority members of Umuoji community, it was discovered that the said 2021 constitution of Umuoji improvement union of Nigeria denied majority of members of Umuoji community the right to democratically elect their leaders to the executive committee of Umuoji improvement union of Nigeria.
Chief Ngige wrote to Muoemenam, drawing his attention to the complaint of the majority of the members of Umuoji community about some undemocratic provisions in the 2021 constitution and called for its amendment.
On his part, Muoemenam ignored the letter written by Ngige.
The Umuoji Progressive Union also issued a communiqué signed by over one thousand members calling for the amendment of the 2021 constitution of Umuoji Improvement Union of Nigeria.
The Communiqué issued by the Union was also ignored by Muoemenam.
The Association of Chairmen and Secretaries of all Villages, Ukaoye-Umuoji, also issued a Communiqué calling for the amendment of the 2021 Constitution.
The Communique issued by the Association of Chairmen and Secretaries was also ignored by the Umuoji President General.
All the efforts made by the members of the Movement, Association of Chairmen and Secretaries, and Ngige, for Muoemenam “to see the need to effect the amendment of the 2021 Constitution of Umuoji Improvement Union of Nigeria in order to restore the right of members of Umuoji Community to democratically elect their leaders did not yield the desired result”, Okongwu regretted.
Despite the complaints of well-meaning members of the Umuoji Community to persuade Muoemenam “to effect the amendment of the 2021 Constitution of Umuoji Improvement Union of Nigeria before conducting the next election to elect the leaders of Umuoji Improvement Union of Nigeria, the President General… has been busy making efforts to conduct the election into the executive positions of the Umuoji Improvement Union of Nigeria with the use of the said 2021 Constitution of Umuoji Improvement Union of Nigeria”.
Presently, he has fixed Saturday, September 20, 2025 to conduct the election to elect the Executive Members of Umuoji Improvement Union of Nigeria and has appointed Electoral Committee mandated to conduct the said election.
Consequently, Ngige, through his lawyer, wrote to the office of the Honourable Attorney General of Anambra State about the actions of chief Cyril Muoemenam “over his insistence to use the 2021 constitution of Umuoji Improvement Union of Nigeria to conduct new election into the executive positions of Umuoji Community”.
He referred to the suit pending at the High Court, Ogidi Judicial Division, against the illegal action of Muoemenam over the said 2021 constitution of Umuoji Improvement Union of Nigeria.
Okongwu instituted the said suit with file number: HID/173/2025 at the court.
He also filed a motion for Interlocutory Injunction restraining Muoemenam from conducting the said election.
On September 16, the Attorney General of Anambra State, as the Chief Law Officer of the State, wrote to the Commissioner of Ministry of Local Government, Town Union Matters and Chieftaincy Affairs directing that the election should be suspended.
Okongwu pointed out: “In spite of the directives of the Honourable Attorney General of Anambra State that the election which is scheduled to hold tomorrow being the 20th day of September 2025 be suspended, Chief Cyril Ifeanyi Muoemenam is still insisting that the said election must go on.
“The insistence of the Chief Cyril Ifeanyi Muoemenam that the election must go on tomorrow being the 20th day of September 2025 will lead to a very serious crisis in Umuoji which may result to the breakdown of Law and Order.”
In view of all the circumstances and our instructions, Okongwu passionately pleaded with the law enforcement officers ‘to use their good offices to take appropriate steps to prevent the intending crisis that is brewing in Umuoji Community’.
“Your intervention in this matter is very crucial in order to ensure that the looming crisis is prevented.
“It is our hope that our complaint will be given the due attention it deserved,” the petition concluded.
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