The Royal Palace of Arochukwu Kingdom has come out very strongly to accuse Mazi Chikwe Udensi of trying to use lies and falsehoods to discredit the transparent selection process that characterized the emergence of Eze Aro, His Eminence, Dr Eberechukwu Oji.
A statement from the Palace, while reacting to Udensi's claims in an online TV interview, wondered why he, who is neither a member of the royal family or Okennachi Kindred is the one trying to discredit the Eze Aro Selection Process, which is solely the business of the Okennachi Kindred of Arochukwu.
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The statement blamed ignorance as a major factor in his responses, even as it accused him of lying on issues of public knowledge.
It read in parts "A lot has happened in Arochukwu Kingdom in recent times. It has been a slew of rehashed falsehood, accusations, calumny and damaging misrepresentations propagated against the leadership of Okennachi Kindred which has been accused of interference in the affairs of the Palace. But there is really no undue interference in the palace", it said.
"It looked like Chikwe, heckled by the success of the Coronation which he and his small clique never expected, let all hell lose by freely lying about practically every process that produced the Eze, including those that have been in use several centuries of Arochukwu monarchy.
"He lied about the number of people involved in the Eze Aro Screening and Selection Process, claiming that only three people were involved, and that two voted for Godwin Idei. That is not true. It is on record and in the public domain that the selection process involved Eberechukwu Oji and Godwin Idei as finalists, and that 7 persons, not three as Chikwe Udensi had said, took part in the final selection exercise.
"This is a fact no one has disputed before, and of the seven persons, only two chose Idei while five chose for Oji.
"If Godwin Idei was chosen by two, whom he said were majority, why did Idei protest the outcome of the process? If Chikwe is intelligent enough he could have applied caution as this is a common sensical reasoning which he was too blind to see.
"Chikwe Udensi told the interviewer that Godwin Idei was crowned by Kanu Nwa Kanu after he was selected Eze Aro, with a strange crown they called okpu arunsi.
"What is okpu arunsi? Is itknown in Arochukwu traditional and cultural lexicon? Has Aro ever recorded any such strange, hurried crowning before?
"Chikwe Udensi again, lied that the 7 persons who were involved in the selection of Eze Eberechukwu Oji were not members of the Okennachi Kindred. Here, he ended up contradicting his earlier statement that only three persons were involved. He even went on to say that they are friends to the Governor and from government house!
"If that is so, why then did Godwin Idei participate in the voting process? Why would he endorse a process that is contrary to his own tradition by being part of the process?
"Udensi lied that Arochukwu Kingdom has a kingmaker, and agreed with the TV presenter that the kingmaker is an Onowu. Onowu in Arochukwu Kingdom? This is the furthest anyone should go in trying to present falsehoods as truths. First of all, Arochukwu has no kingmaker. Every village selects their own king. Also, every kindred selects its own king too, no man is assigned with the responsibility of making anyone chosen by the people a king. No one has that kind of power in Arochukwu tradition and custom. All Aros, including the Ezes are regarded as equals, and it has always been so from the beginning. The Eze Aro is the first amongst equals.
"With so many falsehoods coming from one man, we cannot help but detecting apparent desperation on his part. But, why is Chikwe Udensi so hell-bent in trying to cause anarchy in his own homeland?
"We advise him, and his co-travellers to leave the path he has taken, and return, before he makes serious, embarrassing mistakes. Let him be aware that his lies and falsehoods has no effect on the Eze Aro throne. They have no impact and cannot be used to remove His Eminence, Dr Eberechukwu Oji. Be aware, truth is sacred", the statement concluded.