Chapter 3: Chapter 3

The community has recovered from the heat of transition. Every once in a lifetime, this happened. When the living Igwe passed on, they must install his successor. The Igwe never had the power to anoint his heir. His successor came from the wide horizon of family lineages.

Most monarchies in the other world came from an ordained family. In such a case, they established an heir right from the day of the installation of the Igwe. The mantle of successive leadership resides with the Igwe’s first son. There was nothing to drag if one was not born a male. The females were out of the contest. They had no place in the leadership of any kingdom. No one has ever heard that a woman born without a scrotum presided over men. If it happened elsewhere in the whole wide world, Ezzum had never learned of such histories. It is an abomination to conceive the thought. Those who by chance let the assumption into their heart forbade it outright.

The second male child has a slim chance of emerging the throne. When the well-regarded prince died as well, the ball rolled to him.

In a dubious generation, they painted the scene with blood. The battle intensified if the Igwe had two kitchens. In this case, the younger kitchen mate would be the one spearheading this contest. If the Igwe had only one, the mother would be out of this. The battle would be between the deserved prince and an overzealous younger brother.

The rule was annihilation. This meant knocking down anyone who stood in the way and securing the lead. Some even carried the battle to their father. Those who think the Igwe was spending more than the time his gods had apportioned him. The dubious mind would think he is long overdue to wear the crown. This happened when the Igwe was ailing, and the people have given up all hopes.

This was the case of Nwabunna, an heir devoid of patience. He was aging, and his dream of ascending the throne in his youth was dashing. His father was eating into his time. He was quite old and ailing but has refused the call. There was no one disputing the chances with Nwabunna. The custom has willed the throne to him, but there was his father, refusing to give way. This was all that took sleep away from his eyes. He resolved to do something unthinkable. The Igwe must understand he has had enough. He must give way to his successor.

The people used to say, “every father’s goal was to make way for his children. Their dream was to see their fruits held in high esteem, above the best they achieved.”

Every time the saying crossed Nwabunna’s mind, he dismissed it to be true to selfless fathers. His own father was different.

The Igwe must bow as honorable as does every known counterpart. He has outlived Nwabunna’s patience. This led Nwabunna to visit many DiBiase in a faraway land. The deity revealed the impeding danger at his first trial to put his father to rest.

“There is a calamity threatening to befall us. We must cleanse the entire community from this evil.”

The Igwe instructed the diviner to carry on with the cleansing. When Nwabunna stepped into their soil, the charms became impotent. He planted the medicine, waited past the hours, but his father was still breathing sound. When he returned for confrontation, a heated barter of words ensued. He went accusing the dibia of giving him fake medicine. The dibia believed every ill was Nwabunna’s fault for not sticking to his instructions. The two parted with grudges, and the prince sorted another.

Dibiase were rampant throughout the village. Nwabunna knew some genuine ones around. But he preferred those from faraway for secrecy. So many who called themselves dibias were only magicians. They played this trick to extort the people, and convert items meant for sacrifices. The people have come to associate one Anosike with this act. From this mischief, he raised a flock of sheep.

Once more, Nwabunna visited another dibia. The charm offered him reaffirmed his hope.

“Do not reveal this medicine pot to the sun. You have to plant it in the middle of the night, at the four-path junction.”

When he was on his way back home, the sun which seemed to have retired began to have a life again. The sun stood until it had a peek into the medicine pot and neutralized the content. Even so, he knew the medicine had lost its potency, he still went ahead to plant it. Of course, it never worked. He did not return as he had done with the first. He believed the charm was fake and was never going to work. If not, how could it have been possible the sun came burning at odd hours? This was the stretch he must quit trying.

There was a great risk of the gods unmasking his identity if he continued to push. But with much certainty, he embarked on the journey to the glorified medicine village. There have been twilight stories in praise of the medicine potency of Mkpor. He met with a hunchback dibia who revealed the cause of his previous failures. The charms were potent, but their gods were awake and their eyes were on him.

“I will cast your ancestor's mind from you and blindfold them. Then I will transform you into an angel of death. When your father sees you, he will give up the ghost,” the hunchback dibia promised. And so, it happened when the Igwe beheld his son Nwabunna, he slept in peace. He has achieved victory. He celebrated while others mourned.

On the day of his coronation, the mysterious happened. The clouds grew thick and night befell the whole community. There was heavy rain as he ascends the throne. An ax appeared from the thunder and flashes of lightning and hacked him to death. Then, the people knew he had done something grievous. Only grievous sins warranted Amadioha to unleashed his wrath on a man. His death rolled the dice to the next in line who had not labored one dime. This thing happened to a people who had a living god. In other places, the perpetrator would have gone scot-free.

In Ezzum, the people and their ancestors played a vital role in the emergence of a new Igwe. There were six family lineages. Each pioneer head was an ancestor. Ogbufie was the first man in the history of Ezzum. He was a blacksmith in the quest for raw materials for his artistry. What attracted him was the huge deposit of the echikara trees. Amaogu came next. He was a war veteran escaping death row for his show of cowardice in the frontline. Ozzala came later, with his wife and children, seeking a greener refuge. Then Amala-Ogbe came. Amala-Ogbe was an angler, also in the quest for new pasture. Amankwo-Ibagwa, the prosperous farmer came. Then, Ama-Ogbele the fleeing envied talisman sealed the union. It was he who brought with him the Ogwu deity from his erstwhile community. He arrived last but reckoned on matters of their security. The priest undisputed came from his lineage.

There was a peculiar tension when it comes to who emerges from the throne. Every lineage produced one representative who would face the verdict of their ancestors. The elders of a lineage would assemble to elect one person to stand on their behalf. Everyone recommended in open whom he wanted. In the end, the one who had the majority of recommendations stepped forward. The diviner would present the finalists to their ancestors. He would later come to announce the desired choice. The Ogbefie lineage has always won the title to the throne. People instinctively think this to mean their ancestors trying to compensate Ogbefie. He was selfless in accommodating the later five families. This time, the response was different. The diviner announced Ozzala lineage as the winning choice of the ancestors.