The High Court of Enugu State, Amagunze Judicial Division, has issued an interim injunction restraining Ozo Jerry Patrick Onuokaibe from organizing or holding the New Yam Festival he earlier scheduled for November 1, 2025.
The order, granted under Suit No. HAMA/24/2025, followed an ex parte motion filed by High Chief Linus Ejimofor Igbudu and Chief Raphael Chukwu, who instituted the action on behalf of the Uhuegbe Village. The plaintiffs contended that their village holds the legitimate right to produce the next traditional ruler (Igwe) of Mburubu Town, and that Mr. Onuokaibe’s self-declaration as Igwe-Elect and attempt to host the festival amounts to usurpation of authority and a violation of established customs.
After considering submissions by the applicants’ counsel, Ike Ozor, Esq., Justice J.L.C. Okibe granted the interim injunction, citing the need to maintain peace in the community pending the determination of the substantive motion.
Justice Okibe ordered that all parties — including the defendant, his agents, or any affiliated group — “hereby restrained from organizing, promoting, or celebrating the advertised New Yam Festival under any guise on November 1, 2025, pending the determination of the Motion on Notice.”
It will be recalled that on February 12, 2025, Justice C.O. Ajah of the Enugu State High Court delivered a landmark judgment concerning the rightful heir to the Igweship of Mburubu. In that ruling, Justice Ajah held that the throne is exclusively reserved for only candidates from Uhuegbe Village, which occupies the second position in the community’s traditional order of seniority in line with Mburubu Town Union Constitution.
The court further ruled that Mr. Onuokaibe, a native of Umunafor Village—fifth in the seniority ranking—is constitutionally and traditionally unqualified from contesting for the stool. Justice Ajah described his claim to the throne as “illegitimate and contrary to the customs, traditions, and legal framework governing the selection of traditional rulers in Mburubu,” and as such, he is disqualified from contesting for the office of the Igweship of the community.
Meanwhile, the community has advised the general public to disregard any invitation to the purported festival, warning that attendance could heighten tension. It further urged the public to take adequate note of this judicial pronouncement. The community clarified that Mburubu had already observed its annual New Yam Festival, known as Igba Aju, in August 2025.
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