PDP chieftain assumes royal duties, many years after election

By Musa Baba Adamu

A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, HRH Eze Princewill Onyegbu has finally assumed duty as the traditional ruler of Ugwu Nkpa autonomous community in Bende LGA of Abia State.
This is happening, about a decade after he was elected as the traditional ruler of his people which he did not fully occupy but was only addressed as ‘Eze-elect’ until last week when he eventually collected his Staff of Office from Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in Umuahia.
Onyegbu who is a grassroots politician was before now, faulted by a section of his subjects of allegedly abandoning his supposed royal duties to chase after appointments from the Abia State government and other elective positions in the PDP.
During these periods, according to the Nkpa natives, Onyegbu represented Bende South constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly and later became the Deputy State Chairman of PDP in Abia and was also appointed the Transition Committee Chairman of Bende LGA in 2019 by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu among other appointments.
But last week, he was presented with his Staff of Office by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, who was represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Udo Oko Chukwu.
Some indigenes of Nkpa who reacted to the development said it was a big thing of joy to have their traditional ruler mount his traditional throne.
The subjects who pleaded anonymity said the royal father’s interests in politics affected the speedy handling of communal matters as some matters that required his physical presence and direct pronouncements were either deferred till his return from Umuahia or handled by Palace Chiefs or even deliberated on the phone.
”With this Staff of Office, our Eze will now concentrate on his duties and this will fast-track the development of our community. We are happy and ready to give him every needed support”, one of the Nkpa indigenes said.
Recall that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu while handing over Staff of Office to 31 new traditional rulers last week, charged them to maintain peace in their communities and to effectively coordinate the affairs of their areas well.