AMICHI MUST BE GREATER THAN THIS DISPUTE
A Call for Peace, Restraint and Respect for the Judicial Process
By Amichi Peace and Justice Initiative
From Umuota to Ogrute, Otuocha to Enugwu-Ukwu, Umudim to Umuere, Isamawulu to Eziowelle, Ndiowu to Umuosu, Umuchu, Umudioka, Umuokpu, Umuchinem, Umueje, Umuakpulu, Umuawulu and every other village and kindred that constitutes our beloved Amichi, we share one community, one heritage and one destiny.
The present controversy over the leadership of the Amichi Development Union should therefore not be allowed to divide a people whose relationships, family ties and communal obligations existed long before the present dispute and will continue long after it.
There is presently a case before the High Court of Anambra State, Nnewi Judicial Division, in Suit No. HN/215/2022. On 21 July 2026, the Court directed the parties to maintain the status quo and specifically restrained certain steps relating to the assumption of the office of President-General and the conduct of an election pending determination of the applications before it.
The tenure of the then President-General subsequently expired on 6 August 2026. That development has understandably generated different legal and constitutional interpretations about the appropriate way forward.
But disagreement over interpretation should not become an excuse for confrontation.
The Court's Order should not be converted into a fresh political mandate for anybody. Equally, the expiration of tenure should not become justification for any individual, group or institution to impose its own interpretation of the Order through unilateral action.
The former executive has its position. The Registered Trustees have their position. The Plaintiffs in the pending suit have their position. Government officials may equally have their understanding of the situation.
But none of these positions, standing alone, amounts to a final judicial determination.
That is why restraint is necessary.
Where genuine uncertainty exists as to the effect of the expiration of tenure on the subsisting Order, the proper and peaceful course is to return to the Court for clarification, variation or appropriate consequential directions.
This is not about supporting one administration against another. It is not about promoting the former executive, the Trustees, the Plaintiffs or any government official.
It is about protecting Amichi itself.
Our concern should be the preservation of peace, the integrity of our institutions, the protection of communal property and funds, and the avoidance of any action capable of deepening division among our people.
We therefore appeal to our elders, youths, women, village leaderships, Trustees, former and present community officers, professionals, religious leaders and all sons and daughters of Amichi, both at home and in the diaspora, to resist inflammatory rhetoric, misinformation, threats and self-help.
No faction should be allowed to turn a temporary legal disagreement into a permanent wound in the community.
There will eventually be another President-General. There will be other Trustees. There will be other Commissioners and public officers.
But there will always be one Amichi.
Our villages may be many, but our identity is one. Our opinions may differ, but our collective interest in peace, justice and lawful community administration should remain stronger than any temporary disagreement.
Let every side lower the temperature.
Let every claim be tested by law.
Let every institution act with restraint.
And let no temporary leadership dispute destroy our permanent brotherhood.
Let the Court determine the law.
Let our people preserve the peace.
Let justice guide the way forward.
AMICHI PEACE AND JUSTICE INITIATIVE
One Community • Peace • Justice • Rule of Law