Obi of Onitsha Cracks Down on Powerful Women Group Leadership, Suspends President Over Defiance and Disobedience

 

The revered monarch of Onitsha, His Majesty Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, has taken decisive disciplinary action against the leadership of the historic Otu Odu women society. In a stern move underscoring his authority and the role of tradition in governance, the Obi suspended the society’s president, Enyi Ugobueze Florence Osoka, for what has been described as gross insubordination and persistent disregard for rulings issued by the traditional council.

Following a comprehensive meeting at Ime Obi Onicha that involved the Obi-in-Council and members of the Otu Odu executive committee, the monarch issued a 14-page declaration that encapsulated the findings and resolutions arising from two prominent legal disputes involving the women’s society. The review focused on the implementation of judgments delivered on 24 January 2023 in the case of Enyi Rita Areh vs Enyi Florence Osoka, and another dated 04 July 2024, which addressed a crisis among members of Otu Odu Onicha based in the United States.

The council, presided over by Obi Achebe himself, noted that the president’s conduct, particularly her failure to comply with established rulings, posed a significant threat to order within the Otu Odu society. As a result, she was suspended indefinitely from her position. The monarch emphasized that this action was not taken lightly but was necessary to restore discipline and ensure proper alignment with the kingdom’s traditional authority.

A range of troubling allegations has followed President Osoka’s tenure, including claims of high-handedness, authoritarian leadership, and persistent tardiness in resolving conflicts. These issues, according to the monarch, have exacerbated tensions within the group and undermined efforts aimed at harmonizing its operations with Onitsha’s customary governance structure.

His Majesty, in a strong rebuke, stated that the situation had escalated beyond tolerable limits, prompting the traditional council to levy a fine of six million naira (N6,000,000) against the executive committee. The fine is to be paid into the Onitsha Development Trust Fund within one week, with a formal receipt of payment to be submitted to the Chief of Staff at Ime Obi for documentation and acknowledgment.

Otu Odu, widely respected across Igbo society for its cultural heritage and societal impact, has long operated under the spiritual and administrative oversight of the Obi of Onitsha. The monarch, in his statement, made it clear that the recent actions of the executive committee threatened to detach the society from this traditional framework. He warned that such a trajectory was unacceptable and would be halted with immediate effect.

The Obi also mandated the society to offer a public apology to the Onitsha Traditional Ruling Council for what he described as their “delinquent behavior.” He lamented that rather than promoting harmony and discipline in line with ancestral practices, the current leadership had veered into a confrontational mode of governance, relying on punitive fines and long suspensions to maintain control.

According to him, this atmosphere of fear and domination, though defended by the president and a few others during the meeting, runs contrary to the kingdom’s ethos of collaborative leadership and respect for hierarchy. The monarch expressed disappointment that while the Otu Odu executive was swift in enforcing internal sanctions, it showed reluctance or outright defiance toward judgments passed by the Obi-in-Council.

Further, Igwe Achebe noted that this was the second time within an eighteen-month span that rulings issued by the traditional authority had been ignored. The pattern, he observed, reflects a deepening crisis of confidence and a dangerous drift toward self-governance outside the parameters of the Onitsha monarchy.

The Obi's remarks painted a picture of an institution at a crossroads, struggling between maintaining its proud heritage and resisting tendencies that risk severing its roots from the kingdom’s customs. To safeguard the legacy of Otu Odu and ensure sustainable reform, the monarch declared that the president’s suspension would remain in effect until further notice. The council intends to use this period to initiate necessary constitutional and operational changes within the group.

At the heart of the matter lies a fundamental question about the place of tradition in modern leadership. The monarch’s decisive intervention is seen by many as a reaffirmation of his role not only as a cultural custodian but as an enforcer of order within institutions that draw legitimacy from the throne.

The ruling also sends a clear message to other socio-cultural organizations operating under the umbrella of the Onitsha Kingdom: the authority of the Obi is not symbolic, and defiance carries consequences.

As the dust settles on this dramatic chapter, the Otu Odu society faces a moment of introspection and reform. The actions of the Obi have set a new tone for governance and accountability within traditional institutions. Whether the suspended leadership will return in the future or give way to new voices remains to be seen, but for now, the message from the monarch is loud and clear: order must prevail, and tradition must be respected.