Eze Dr. Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu
The posturing of a Nigerian businessman who claims to be Igbo King has incurred the wrath of a cross section of Ghanaians.
Some Ghanaians have therefore demanded the deportation of illegal Nigerians in the country.
The self-styled ‘King of the Igbo People in Ghana’, Eze Dr. Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu was reported to have said he intends to build an Igbo kingdom in the Ga State, Accra.
Dr. Ihenetu was seen in a viral video claiming to have acquired 50 acres of land in Prampram along the Aflao road (Old Ningo) within the Ga Traditional Council purposely to establish an Igbo kingdom, which will accommodate his tribe mates in Ghana.
A video also surfaced where some traditional chiefs within the Ga State were seen installing him as King of Igbos in Ghana.
Many citizens have criticised the intention of this ‘Igbo King’, noting that the presence of a foreign monarch undermines Ghana’s sovereignty and traditional chieftaincy institutions, hence the “Nigeria Must Go Protest”.
Some Ghanaians have urged the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to intervene, seeking clarification on whether Ghanaian law permits foreigners to hold royal titles within the country.
In response to growing tensions, Eze Dr. Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu and other Igbo leaders insist the kingship is purely symbolic, intended to serve as a unifying figurehead for the Igbos in Ghana. Speaking in a recent interview, Eze Ihenetu stated: “The throne of the Diasporan Igbo in Ghana is meant to protect, defend, and project the Igbo people and Nigerians as a whole. We have no political authority or territorial ambitions in Ghana. This is purely cultural.”
While the Ningo Traditional Council has called on the authorities to invite the ‘Igbo King’ for questioning and interrogation regarding the said land acquisition, the Ga Traditional Council has issued a statement disassociating itself from the activities of Eze Dr. Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu. In a press release signed by Evelyn Amewotse, Registrar of the Ga Traditional Council, on behalf of the president, following an emergency meeting held on July 9, 2025, the Council – under the leadership of King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, the Ga Mantse – unanimously denied installing Dr. Ihenetu as king within the Ga State.
The Council emphasised that within Ga State, the recognition of any traditional leader is subject to strict procedures, including formal registration in the National Register of Chiefs. It stressed that the Ga Traditional Council itself is a creation of statute, operating within Ghana’s legal framework.
“The Ga Traditional Council disassociated itself from all activities of the said Eze Dr. Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu,” the statement read.
“The Council has never recognised anybody or person as a King of lgbos within the Ga State,” it added.
The Council has directed Dr. Ihenetu to immediately cease and desist from presenting himself as the King of the lgbo community in the Ga State or engaging in any traditional or cultural activities in that capacity.
The Igbos, one of Nigeria’s and West Africa’s largest ethnic groupings, has no central monarchical system even in their home country.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke