Kingship Tussle: Delta Community Sends SOS to Gov Okowa

Delta Govt Assures on Resolution of Rift

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

The people of Egbudu-Akah in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State has staged a peaceful protest to the Government House Asaba demanding the intervention of the government in averting looming crisis over alleged to install a second king on the kingdom. 

They said the SOS appeal became inevitable because some influential members of the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council were trying to pressure the state government to present Staff of Office to another person as Obi of Egbudu-Akah while an Obi was still alive and on the throne of his forefathers.

“By the tradition of Egbudu-Akah none of the Obi’s children has right to right to proclaim himself the Obi without the proclamation or affirmation of the elders of the royal family”, they noted, adding that a similar situation in the past where the state government presented a staff of Office to an unqualified prince led to serious crisis, deaths and disruption of socioeconomic life in Egbudu-Akah.

They protesters, comprising traditional title holders, leaders of community development association as well as women and youths, carried placards with various inscriptions urging the state government to end arbitrariness in recognising their traditional ruler but to respect the culture and traditions of the place.

They also alleged that the traditional ruler of the neighboring community of Ubulu-Unor was meddling in the internal affairs of the community and encouraging the circumventing of age-long due traditional process of Egbudu-Akah of installation of an Obi.

Some of the placards by the supporters of the sitting monarch read: “Obi Solomon Remains the King of Egbudu-Akah”; ” Government Please Respect Egbudu-Akah Culture”; ” Obi Chikachukwu, Your Impunity Must Stop!” and, ” Obi Kikachukwu, Egbudu-Akah is Not An Integral Part of Your Ubulu-Unor Kingdom”.

The spokesman of the protesters and community leader in Egbudu-Akah, Chief Anthony Egbune, later presented a “Position Paper” to the Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa through the Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Festus Ovie Agas, on behalf of the Egbudu-Akah Development Union (EDU).

He also presented a copy of the gazetted rules and processes on the installation of Obi of Egbudu-Akah Kingdom.

Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved party, a community leader, Chief Anthony Egbune, said Solomon Oguagwu was the rightful person for the throne, explaining that he had completed the funeral rites of his late father and predecessor, Obi Paul Nzemeka, as custom and tradition demanded, before he was crowned the new king. 

The community accused the Nsukwa clan, Aniocha South local government and the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council of wrongly recommending the late Obi, even with the attendant crisis following his rejection by the people, insisting that this time around the right thing must be done.

Responding, the Chief of Staff to the Governor assured that the government would leave out nothing to ensure that the right and lawful step is taken to resolve the lingering kingship tussle in Egbudu-Akah community in the interest of peace and progress in the community.

Agas expressed delight at the peaceful manner the protesters conducted themselves during the demonstration to the Government House, urging them to continue on the peaceful trajectory when they returned home while Government looked into their grievances.

Governor Okowa has never deviated from laid down rules and regulations in addressing traditional and community matters including succession to royal stools, Agas observed.

At the Directorate of Chieftaincy Affairs, the Permanent Secretary, Mr Frank Aghara, who received the position paper from the Egbudu-Akah protesters, also assured them that Government would attend to the matter.

Nevertheless, the Ubulu-Unor monarch, Obi Afamefuna Henry Kikachukwu, washed his hands off the succession dispute in Egbudu-Akah, saying at no time did he meddle in the kingship tussle in Egbudu-Akah or attempted to impose a king on the kingdom.

Fielding questions from newsmen in Asaba on Friday, the Ubulu-Unor monarch noted that he “only advised the people to respect tradition”.

Obi Kikachukwu, who was alleged to have fueled to the crisis, said that he got to know about the kingship dispute when he was the Chairman of the Aniocha South Traditional Rulers’ Committee, at which time the issue was brought before the committee for deliberation and advice.

Obi Kikachukwu explained that though the Committee tried to resolve the matter when it first started in 2016 after the death of the then Obi Alfred Okolie, a section of the community was not satisfied with the Committee’s recommendation and proceeded to seek redress in court.

Obi Kikachukwu advised Egbudu-Akah Kingdom to embrace peace as no community can grow and prosper without peace and understanding.