Ibusa Elite Celebrated the Obuzo Emegence Edit
“CHIEF OKONICHA, IYASE OF IBUSA, THE LATE CHIEF AWELE NWAEZEIGWE, FORMER OSHIMILI NORTH TWO-TERM COUNCIL CHAIRMAN, AND MYSELF, PHILIP ELUEME WERE THE ONLY NDI IGBUZOR PHYSICALLY @ THE SUPREME COURT, ABUJA, ON MAY 16TH 2003, WHEN OBUZOR OF IBUSA WON HIS CASE AT THE SUPREME COURT, ABUJA”
The day May 16th 2003 is a ‘glorious, watershed/ landmark’ date for the people of Ibusa, in Oshimili North Local govt Area of Delta State; it was a day that the supreme court of Nigeria finally ‘legally institutionalized’ beyond doubt, THE OBUZOR OF IBUSA Traditional Chieftaincy stool in consonance with the wishes of majority of Ibusa sons reference the unanimous affirmation of 25 out of 26 kingmakers..!
2) As I walked into the venue of this court proceedings to meet Chief Okonicha ( Iyase) and Chief Awele Nwaezeigwe, who were already seated, the judgement was swift, simple, and direct; the supreme court had pronounced their judgement in favour of Obi Prof LC Nwaoboshi and others…the junior counsel representing the late Prof Chukwura, Prof Chike Onwuachi’s lawyer just approached us…with his hands stretched out muttering…” Congratulations to the people of Ibusa…you have won”…We all accepted his handshake, except for Papa Chief Okonocha ( Iyase) who was knelling down, hands raised above his head, singing praises profusely as an ‘orators orator’ par excellence, that he is, aloud to Osebuluwa, Onyenweikenine for giving Ibusa this sweet victory… by then the supreme court judges had all disappeared into their chambers…Chief Awele Nwaezeigwe was beaming with smiles:” This is a new dawn for Ibusa, we give thanks to Almighty God…I told Obuzor we will easily win at the supreme court..!”
2) As I walked into the venue of this court proceedings to meet Chief Okonicha ( Iyase) and Chief Awele Nwaezeigwe, who were already seated, the judgement was swift, simple, and direct; the supreme court had pronounced their judgement in favour of Obi Prof LC Nwaoboshi and others…the junior counsel representing the late Prof Chukwura, Prof Chike Onwuachi’s lawyer just approached us…with his hands stretched out muttering…” Congratulations to the people of Ibusa…you have won”…We all accepted his handshake, except for Papa Chief Okonocha ( Iyase) who was knelling down, hands raised above his head, singing praises profusely as an ‘orators orator’ par excellence, that he is, aloud to Osebuluwa, Onyenweikenine for giving Ibusa this sweet victory… by then the supreme court judges had all disappeared into their chambers…Chief Awele Nwaezeigwe was beaming with smiles:” This is a new dawn for Ibusa, we give thanks to Almighty God…I told Obuzor we will easily win at the supreme court..!”
3) As we all walked outside the court room, triumphantly, I suggested that I should drive them to a good hotel at Abuja to rest for the day before leaving for Ibusa the following day; but my Chiefs were unanimous:” Philip we must get to Ibusa today, its just about noon, we shall make it today to be part of this overwhelming, happy, momentous celebrations… take us to where we will charter a good vehicle back to Ibusa”; hence I drove them to Edo line, where they boarded a vehicle immediately back to Ibusa!
4) For me, I was still drunk with joy; I could not help reflecting on how simple this judgement came…I was expecting that the supreme court premises and court room will be ‘jam-parked’, indeed filled with ‘who is who’, in Ibusa…for such a Traditional Chieftaincy disputation, with all the propagandist, controversies, and near revisionism of Ibusa history, a feat that commenced in 1995, because of the global profile and gargantuan personality of the late Prof Chike Onwuachi and his very ‘vociferous supporters’…but alas, It was not to be; it was only a junior counsel that represented them… I was to learn much later that most supreme court judgements end up like that – a near solemn, quite, without glamour and ‘razz judgement day – but laced with ‘far- reaching’ historical implications!
Philip Elueme.. 04-04-2020
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