THE IGBO PRE-COLONIAL POLITICAL SYSTEM

THE IGBO PRE-COLONIAL POLITICAL SYSTEM

The Igbo political system may be seen as a fragmented political system. Many constitutions were in place and political authority was shared among them. For example, the Ofo title holders (council of elders), Ozor title holders, age grades, etc. were all involved in the power sharing exercise. No wonder then, that the term “acephalous” was ascribed to or used to describe the organisation of the Igbo political system.

There was the absence of centralisation of power and authority in the Igbo political system as it was more of the people’s direct participation in their government (direct democracy).

Every village in Igboland had a Council of Elders that carried legislative, executive and judicial powers. It consisted of representatives of every family that lived on that territory. Each representative had its own name in the council, which sounded like ‘Ofo.’ Of all the elders' members, there was a member respected by other the most. Usually, it was the wisest and most senior person who was called ‘Okpara’ and could gather meetings and be the judge if needed. However, he wasn’t treated like a king or Mr. Predisent. His voice wasn’t powerful and couldn’t make decisions without the voices of all the Igbo families in his village.

the political administration scheme of the council of elders:

Ofo – heads of each family

Okpara – the eldest representative of the council

The Council of the village was responsible for settling disputes and arguments, punish those people who disobeyed moral and behavior rules, etc. within its territory. It was autonomous from other villages, and its meetings were attended by all male adults who lived there.

Ozo Title holders – these were the most influential representatives of the village (usually, this title was awarded to the most popular and rich men)

Age grade – these were male groups of the same age who protected their territory and were responsible for peace and duties

Ala – these were priests who were mouthpieces of Igbo gods (Aro, Ogbaegbu, Amadioha, etc.) It is interesting to know that Ozo and Ala could give advice to Okparas, provide assistance with maintaining law in the village and participate in all the meetings. However, none of these groups could perform judicial, executive and legislative functions on their own because these were collegial decisions only. In old times, Igbo tribes didn’t follow ‘traditional’ forms of government in those centuries, such as Kingdoms and Empires. The Council of elders, groups of people (Ozo, Age grade, and priests) formed the Town Assembly called Oha-na Eze. In other words, everyone from the tribe ruled in their small villages and respected the beliefs and traditions of their ancestors. The pre-colonial administration in Igboland reminded of a democratic republic where all the important roles were shared between families in the village.

STRUCTURAL ORGANISATION

Kindred: A group of families called Umunna. Headed by the eldest who has the Ofo title.

Village: Largest unit of government. Village assembly was the supreme body.

Council of Elders: Members of the village council.

Ndichie (Ozor Titled Men): Titled men of integrity that settled disputes.

Age Grade: Perform executive functions.

Umuada: Married daughters of kindred. Played major roles in settling family disputes.

Administrative Structure of Igbo Political System

Executive Function: It was performed by the village assembly, council of elders, and age grade.

Legislative Function: Performed by the council of elders, Ndichie and high priest of deities (gods).

Judicial Function: Performed by the council of elders, priest of deities, and Ndichie.

Comparisons of the three precolonial systems

1. The Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba political systems were monarchical, headed by kings, while the Igbo traditional system was republican, headed by no king or queen.

2. The Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba political systems were centralized, while the Ibo political system was decentralized.

3. In the The Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba political systems, legislative functions were performed by the monarchs and their councils, while in Igbo political system, law making was performed by the council of elders and the general assembly.

4. Political power was exercised by the monarchs and their council of advisers in the The Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba political systems, while in the Igbo traditional system, political power was exercised by the council of elders by consensus.

5. In the Igbo traditional system, age grade system was recognised while in the Hausa-Fulani and Yoruba political systems, it was not recognised