Plateau Igbo must unite, reconcile with Gbong Gwom Jos – Prof. Obilom

The Eze Igbo in Jos, Professor Joseph Obilom has called on Igbos in the state to reconcile their differences and unite to rejoin deliberations at the palace of the Gbong Gwom Jos, Jacob Gyang Buba.

Prof. Obilom in a phone conversation also confirmed that the Gbong Gwom had at a stakeholders meeting last week asked the Igbo community to review the title of ‘Eze’ (King) which he said indicated that the Eze Igbo in Jos was inalienable to land in Plateau State, a right only vested on the Gbong Gwom and other Plateau traditional rulers.

“The Gbong Gwom made two points; the first is that he will not tolerate two leaderships among the Igbos. He wants the two factions to reconcile so that we can put our house in order. The second point is that we should not use a title that will mean we are inalienable to the land. We are ruling our people not lands and from that perspective, I think he is right,” he said.

Prof. Obilom who became Eze Igbo in 2012 following the demise of Chief Joseph Ejimbe in 2010 said the Gbong Gwom had suspended dealings with the Igbos until the two factions reconcile and present a unified candidate to represent them during palace deliberations.

He said the Gbong Gwom expressed concern at the nomenclature of the title ‘Eze’, adding, “The Gbong Gwom took the position based on a formal complaint made by some Igbos in the state that the traditional leader had been dealing with the leader of an Igbo faction group who had portrayed himself as the ‘Onye Ndu Ndigbo,’ not the Eze, an elected position as stated in their constitution.”