The Traditional Ruler of Umudiawa Autonomous Community, Eze Nnamdi Ofoegbu, has dismissed his suspension by the Abia State Traditional Rulers Council as baseless, insisting he committed no offence to warrant such action.
Speaking to journalists at his palace in Umudiawa, Eze Ofoegbu said his only “crime” was presenting an award to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu—through the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives—in recognition of the President’s developmental strides in the South East.
“The only thing I did was recognise the President’s achievements, and that’s why they suspended me. It’s unjust and politically motivated,” he said.
Eze Ofoegbu, who also chairs the Ndigbo Progressives Traditional Rulers Forum, maintained that the award fell within the forum’s mandate and was intended to encourage the President to do even more for the region.
He also decried the financial neglect faced by traditional rulers in Abia State, lamenting that they are not receiving the statutory 5% allocation from local government funds, a situation he says is crippling their efforts to address security challenges in their communities.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Abia State Traditional Rulers Council, Eze Linus Mba, claimed Ofoegbu was suspended for alleged insubordination—a claim the embattled monarch has strongly denied.
