The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin has declared Chief Hycinth Okolie as the authentic Ihonor of Ogwashi-Uku, headquarters of Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The Chieftancy title is the third in the hierarchy of traditional titles in the Kingdom after the Obi and the Iyase.
Chief Okolie had won the contest for the coveted title after a fierce contest in 2008.
Dissatisfied with the emergence of Chief Okolie as the Ihonor, two of the contestants, Borniface Anyibuofu and Augustine Nwaeke Okeibunor, headed to the High Court to request the court to quash his nomination.
The two contestants initiated various suit to quash Chief Okolie’s nomination.
The cases were in suit No. 0/35/2008 betweem Roland Okolie and 5 others vs Hycinth Okolie, Suit no 0/5/2009 between Augustine Nwaeke Okeibunor and 7others vs HRM Obi (Prof) Aninshi Okonjo and Hycinth Okolie, Suit no.0/14/2010; between Diokpa Igwebuike Ntoka and 3 others vs AG Delta state, LG and Chieftaincy affairs, Diokpa Nkwor Vincent Ezieshi and Hycinth Okolie and Suit no.0/21/2014 between Augustine Nwaeke Okeibunor and 6 others vs HRM Obi (Prof) Aninshi Chukwuka Okonjo and Hycinth Okolie.
The suits at the High Court culminated in the Appeal Court case: CA/AS/174/2018, which was determined last Wednesday.
The verdict came on the heels of a similar judgment over the Iyase title, the second most powerful title in the Kingdom.
High Chief Mike Nwaukoni who was installed as the Iyase in 2004, had his installation challenged in 2008 following the enthronement of Professor Aninshi Okonjo as the Obi and the late Obi’s titanic battles to unseat the Iyase.
The legal fireworks that ensued climaxed at the Supreme Court where it was decided by the Justices of the apex court that Onowu Mike Nwaukoni is the authentic Iyase of Ogwashi-Uku.
