…Demands Cultural Cleansing
The Ezumezu Umunri Cultural Initiative has protested the conferment of a chieftaincy title on Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, by traditional rulers in Anambra State, describing aspects of the ceremony as a desecration of Igbo cultural institutions.
In a press statement dated September 13, 2026, the group accused Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, his deputy and traditional rulers who participated in the ceremony of compromising established cultural protocols for political reasons.
The organisation, which said it was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and dedicated to preserving and defending Umunri and wider Igbo traditions, said it was particularly concerned about the manner in which traditional rites were performed during the ceremony.
It said the development had brought “unprecedented ridicule, shame, and devaluation to the Igbo traditional institution”.
One of its major grievances was that Mrs. Tinubu remained seated while the traditional rites were performed, rather than kneeling before the traditional ruler.
The group said: “In Igbo culture, tradition dictates that anyone receiving a chieftaincy title – regardless of their political height, wealth, or social status – must kneel before the Eze or Igwe who sits upon the throne of his ancestors.”
According to the organisation, Governor Soludo and his deputy witnessed the ceremony but failed to prevent what it described as a violation of traditional protocol.
“This inversion of cultural protocol has severely diminished the dignity of our culture and stripped the conferring king of the supreme authority inherent in his stool,” it said.
The group also condemned what it described as the public humiliation of traditional rulers during the ceremony.
It is alleged that several traditional rulers were seen standing in a line to exchange the traditional three-times handshake, known as “Inna-ito”, with the First Lady while she remained seated.
“The Inna-ito is a sacred greeting reserved strictly between initiated peers and titled elders of equal status. For our kings to line up like vassals to greet a seated recipient is a taboo that cannot be overlooked,” the statement said.
The organization further accused Governor Soludo of political overreach, alleging that he had persuaded himself, his deputy, and traditional rulers to participate in conduct that compromised long-standing cultural practices.
“We observe with dismay how the Executive Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, organized this event and egregiously overreached himself,” it said.
“In a bid to curry political favor, the Governor persuaded himself, his deputy, and our revered royal fathers to act indecently, compromising the sacred protocols that have guided our civilization for millennia.”
The Ezumezu Umunri Cultural Initiative called on the Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers, led by Igwe Iweka of Obosi, as well as other traditional rulers who participated in the ceremony, to take immediate steps to “appease the land”.
It demanded a public apology and appropriate cultural cleansing to restore what it described as the ancestors’ dignity.
“Let it be known that if a public apology is not tendered and the appropriate cultural cleansing is not performed to restore the dignity of our ancestors, the Ezumezu Umunri Cultural Initiative will seek strict legal redress,” the group warned.
It added that it was prepared to pursue the matter through the courts or, where applicable, “hand over the spiritual accountability of this desecration to the ancient gods of our land”.
Beyond the immediate controversy, the group said it would organize a webinar and a series of consultations on Traditional/Cultural Ethics and Morals as part of efforts to deepen understanding of traditional institutions.
It said custodians of traditional stools across Nigeria, including the Obi of Onitsha, Eze Enugu-Ukwu na Igwe Umunri, Sultan of Sokoto, Ooni of Ife and Oba of Benin, would be invited to contribute to the discussions.
The initiative said the programme would reinforce its position that traditional institutions should not be reduced to instruments of political protocol.
“This will serve as a stark reminder that the traditional stool is a sacred trust, not an extension of the state’s protocol unit,” it said.
The group concluded: “Our culture is our life (Omenala bu ndu). We will not stand by and watch it be bartered for political expediency.”
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