Traditional Socio-political Organization of the Enuani Igbo of South Central Nigeria

This paper examines the indigenous socio-political system of the Enuani, an Igbo sub-culture group. It begins by interacting with some of the primary and secondary sources on the Igbo political system. The paper will prove that the sociopolitical organization of the Enuani Igbo is primordial and free from external imposition. In the analysis that follows, the paper sees Enuani Igbo socio-political organization as a blend of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. The study shows that kingship and the umunna organizational concept occur together and is centred on title holding. In the course of their contacts and interactions with their Bini neighbours to the west, they exchanged kingship ideas, which benefited both sides. As a result, a more centralized system of political organization developed around the Obi of the Enuani kingdoms. The paper concludes that, rather than looking at this development as a superimposition, scholars should view it as evidence of mutually reciprocal inter-group relations.