Traditional rulers should play partisan politics-Igwe Nwankwo

The traditional ruler of Nawfia in Anambra State, Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo, has said that traditional rulers in the country ought to be involved in active politics.

Igwe Nwankwo who spoke in an interview with newsmen in Awka, the State capital, contended that section 40 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic permitted everybody including tradtional rulers to take part in politics.

He said the section states that “everybody shall belong to a political party of his choice. That traditional rulers should not play politics is a moral issue, but no law stops them from playing active role in politics. Morality and legality are quite different.”

He urged the state government to restore joint account which takes care of traditional rulers, considering the high expenditure they make on daily basis as custodians and leaders in their various domains.

Igwe Nawfia said, ” it was in 2007, during the regime of Jim Nwobodo, the then Governor of old Anambra state that the Joint Local Government Allocation for Traditional rulers law was passed as a law but has not been implemented since then till now.

No government has implemented it since then to enable us get five per cent of the allocation as stipulated by the law establishing it.The Igwes spend a lot as the Chief Security officers of their dormains, so the implementation will help us a lot.”

He appealed to Governor Willie Obiano to conduct election in the
council to have elected executives as caretakers are not legal.

Speaking on agitation,armed robbery and thuggery ravaging South East
zone and others, he attributed it to unemlpoyment and negligence of
cultural values.

The monarch commended the governor for fighting crime in the state,
adding that people now sleep with their two eyes closed.According to him, he also spread political appointments to the benefit of all council areas.

Igwe Nwankwo said that he was sure that the Northern youths were not serious in the threat they issued to Ndigbo to vacate the North on or before October 1 this year, stressing that if they implement it, they on their part have automatically divided Nigeria.