CHIEFTAINCY IN ORAIFITE AFTER THE COLONIAL PERIOD:
In the post colonial period, Oraifite returned to the traditional system of government.
The Obis in the four quarters of Oraifite have equal and autonomous power. Ezumeri
still remains the oldest quarter. Between 1960 and 1976, chieftaincy matters were silent
in Oraifite. They had no recognized leader at the state government. In other words, they
had no representation. In 1977, the four quarters and the Obis of Oraifite decided to
draft a constitution. With that constitution, they elected the first Igwe of Oraifite. The
first Igwe of Oraifite was HRH, Igwe Greg Udeh Ubaka. He reigned from December
1977 till his death in 1984. After the death of Igwe Udeh Ubaka, the Igweship position
remained open as at the time of this paper. As a matter of compromise, the constitution
calls for the rotation of Igweship starting from Unodu, followed by Ezumeri, then Irefi
and finally Ifite, in that order. Currently, there seem to be a dispute as to the legality of
the same constitution which was used to elect the first Igwe. The quarter of Onodu
which had benefited under the provisions of the constitution, by providing the first
candidate for Igweship, is now contesting the validity of the same constitution.
CONCLUSION
This study is an attempt to examine the origin and history of the chieftaincy institution
in Oraifite from the earliest times to the end of the colonial period. The writer has tried
to show that the Oraifite chieftaincy institution which began about the time of Mmaku,
was a dynamic institution and had continued to be a veritable heritage of the people.
The history of the chieftaincy institution in Oraifite demonstrates the fact that from the
very early times, the office of the obi of Oraifite has been occupied by forceful and
penetrating individuals. By his dynamism, the first Obi of all, Mmaku, as mentioned
earlier, laid the foundation of the chieftaincy institution in Anaedo and formulated its
modus vivendi adopted by his successors. Power was centered on the Obi. Every
quarter of village in Oraifite had her Obi with autonomous power. The study has also
attempted to show that in the pre-colonial period, the Obis of Oraifite performed a
number of rituals, judicial, military and socio-economic functions which helped to hold
the society together, thereby making it possible for peace and security, and the general
welfare of the people to be maintained. For performing these functions, the each Obi
was held in high esteem by his people.
With the British occupation of Oraifite community in 1905, the traditional political
arrangement underwent a radical change; The British introduced a system of
administration known as the "indirect rule". Under this system, of administration, the
central Obi of Oraifite was vested with the power to rule the people under the
supervision of British Officials .The system negated the role of the Obi-in-Council
whose powers under the traditional system of administration, were taken over by the
Native Authority which was dominated by British functionaries. The Obi-in-council
could no longer take political decisions. Moreover, its judicial authority was taken over
by the native courts established and controlled by the colonial authorities. The Obi now
became responsible not to the people, but to the British political officers in whose name
he exercised immense powers which could not have been possible under the traditional
system of administration. In the words of Dr. Egboh, ["Cultural Revival Among the Igbo”
Post Graduate Seminar Paper, (Dept. of History, U.N.N., 1984), p. 3.]
“The colonial administration made the chiefs its own agents and allowed them to exercise in its
name immense political powers which they could not exercise under traditional Igbo polity. The
role which the chiefs played was unconstitutional to the Igbo, but they accepted it because they
had no choice.”