....... says Jerry Partick Onuokaibe remains their choice for Igweship.

Enugu State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Prince Lawrence Ezeh, has been urged to visit a psychiatric hospital to ascertain the state of his mental health over his recent acts of harassing people from his village, Mburubu, in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.

In a post that circulated through social media on Saturday, the poster, namely, Ekene Mmaduabuchi from Uhuegbe village in Mburubu community, said Prince Lawrence Ezeh has sponsored more than 30 media attacks against the person of Jerry Partick Onuokaibe, a man he said has always seen Prince Ezeh as a brother and friend.

He stated that the recent attack which Prince Lawrence Ozoemena Ezeh sponsored against Jerry Partick Onuokaibe through the use of a non-existing name, Ogbonna Enyinnaya, is another act which puts the mental state of the commissioner into serious consideration.

In a rejoinder to the misleading statements made by Mr. Lawrence Ezeh's aide against the good people of Mburubu, Ekene Mmaduabuchi refuted the claims, asserting that the crisis in the Mburubu community predates the emergence of Ozo Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe.

Mmaduabuchi highlighted efforts made since 2013 to curb the alleged tyrannical behavior of Mr. Lawrence Ezeh, including letters to various authorities and lawsuits, thus accusing Prince Ezeh and his associates of abusing power, intimidation, and financial coercion against Ndi Mburubu.

The Statement also criticized Ezeh's attempt to mislead the public regarding a letter from concerned citizens of Mburubu against the alleged abuse of power and emphasized the mass delivery of the letter to the state secretariat on May 22, 2024.

Regarding the procedure for the emergence of the Igwe of Mburubu, Mmaduabuchi referenced the community constitution of 1976 and accused Ezeh of attempting to create disunity by disregarding zoning regulations.

He praised High Chief Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe for accepting the call of leadership from their people as well as the manner in which he has handled series of media, spiritual, and physical attacks from Prince Ezeh.

He challenged Prince Lawrence Ezeh to prove his assertion that Onuokaibe practices divide and rule while also questioning his motives in allegedly opposing the collective will of Ndi Mburubu.


The statement reads ;

**A Rejoinder to the Misleading Statements of Mr. Lawrence Ezeh's Aide Against the Good People of Mburubu**

Ordinarily, the writer and his boss, the self-styled Regent of Mburubu, would have been ignored, but the need to stop them from misleading the unsuspecting public has made this rejoinder necessary.

I must state clearly that the crisis in the Mburubu community predated the emergence of Ozo Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe, as there have been efforts to tame the tyrannical behavior of Mr. Lawrence Ezeh in Mburubu since 2013. Efforts to curb his abuse of power, negligence, and intimidation against Ndi Mburubu were first initiated by the Mburubu Town Union under the leadership of Mr. Celestine Chukwu (late), Mburubu Association USA Inc., and others. You may refer to the letters from the MTU to the Honourable Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Rural Development, Enugu State, dated 16th December 2013 and 28th August 2014, respectively. There were also lawsuits at Agbani High Court, specifically cases numbers HAGB/16/2013 and HAGB/27/2013, and the order of interim injunction issued at Nsukka under the seal of the Honourable Court and hand of the presiding judge, Honourable Justice F.I.N. Ngwu, dated 20th August 2013. There's also the letter from the MTU to the Divisional Police Officer, Nkanu East LGA, Amagunze, dated 28th August 2013. See also the letter from the MTU president to the MTU branches dated 10th April 2014. There was also a letter from the Mburubu Association USA Inc. to the late Igwe E.M.O. Ezeh and the MTU, respectively, dated 28th September 2013, etc.

The purpose of the above-mentioned letters is to expose the lies of Mr. Lawrence Ezeh and his army of oppressors who have consistently abused power, shown high-handedness, used intimidation, financial power, and mischievousness against the collective opinions and interests of Ndi Mburubu, who have been resisting them since 2013 to date.

The attempt by Lawrence Ezeh's aide to mislead the public about the letter from the concerned citizens of Mburubu, duly signed by over 630 verifiable Mburubians against Commissioner Lawrence Ozoemena Ezeh and the MTU under his stooge, the MTU president, who also doubles as Commissioner Ezeh's personal driver, regarding the indiscriminate abuse of power is laughable. The people did not only write and sign the letter but trooped en masse to personally deliver the letter to the Honourable Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Local Government and Rural Development at the state secretariat on the 22nd day of May, 2024, which has failed on arrival.

Rather than bowing their heads in shame, they resorted to attacking the person of High Chief Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe, a true man of the people. The writer's assertion that Mr. Lawrence Ezeh's tyrannical behavior is in defense of the Mburubu people makes me suggest that he needs to visit a psychiatrist for urgent medical attention.

In fact, calling such a high-powered delegation of Ndi Mburubu lead by Prof Alphonsus Njoku, a professor of Political history, scavengers and unprintable names makes one wonder what Ezeh and his aides smokes in their gatherings. The incoherent, inconsistent, imbecilic, and unintelligent statement by his aide further validates what Niccolò Machiavelli said: "The very first and best method of evaluating and estimating the intelligence and capacity of a leader is to look at the kind of men he has around him." It is an arrogant display of stupidity and ignorance to call a delegation that comprises the Mburubu leaders of thought, family and village heads, women and youth leaders, Cabinet Chiefs, and Ndi Ozo Mburubu, scavengers.

The procedure for the emergence of the Igwe of Mburubu is contained in the Mburubu community constitution of 1976, which is recognized and gazetted by the Enugu State government in 2010. However, owing to ignorance, Mr. Lawrence Ezeh and his bunch of oppressors are delighted in their attempt to create problems and disunity in Mburubu by zoning the Igweship to Uhuegbe village, even when the Ministry of Chieftaincy Matters has made it clear that the constitution of the Mburubu community did not zone it to any village.

Recall that weeks after the demise of our late Igwe, who was the biological father of Commissioner Ezeh, rather than mourning the late King, Mr. Lawrence Ezeh and his personal driver cum MTU president, Mr. Emmanuel Edeh, embarked on the infamous attempt to desecrate the Anyi Mburubu. All attempts by the people to make him abort the disgusting idea proved abortive. The people, in an attempt to stop him from desecrating the Anyi Mburubu, sent a high-profile delegation to High Chief Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe, asking him to come to their aid, a call Ozo Onuokaibe responded to and ensured that Mr. Ezeh and his cohorts did not carry out the sacrilegious and dastardly act against Ndi Mburubu. This was the genesis of Ezeh's many attacks on Chief Onuokaibe. However, this shall be a topic for another discussion.

Finally, I make bold to say that the assertion that Chief J.P. Onuokaibe is practicing divide and rule is not only laughable but a lie from the pit of hell. This will also form a topic for another essay, but it is pertinent to state clearly that the engineer, iron bender, carpenter, and many others who constructed Chief Onuokaibe's palatial home in Mburubu are all from the Odenigbo extractions of Mburubu.

The question begging for an answer is: Why does Commissioner Lawrence Ezeh want to be the lone voice and sole representative of Mburubu Njoku-Igbudueze?

Udo dikwalụ onye chọrọ udo.

Mazi Ekene Maduabuchi ✍️ from Mburubu.