By Zik Gbemre
The trajectory is creeping into the Delta State Government where Governor Sheriff Oborevwori is captured as appointing monarchs for new or vacant stools for various kingdoms in the state.
For some time now, the state media team, in the highlight of new projects approved by the Governor for execution, has often listed the governor’s appointment of one or more monarchs among the approvals.
In the latest release from the state, Oborevwori is said to have appointed about 6 new traditional rulers across the state’s 3 senatorial districts. Precisely, the relevant item in the recent statement captured:
“THE FOLLOWING TRADITIONAL RULERS WERE ALSO APPOINTED
1 ) Obi Michael Ogochukwu Osemedua Isichei as the Obi of Ubulu-Okiti Kingdom.
2 ) HRM Obi Cletus Nkeakam Ochei as the Obi of Ukwu-Oba Kingdom.
3 ) HRM Okorocha Emoghene Osuokpa I as the 39th Okpara-Uku of Orogun Kingdom.
4 ) HRM Obi Ikechukwu Chukwuemeka Ugboma as the Obi of Issele-Azagba Kingdom.
5 ) HRM Patrick Okpomor Agre as the Ovie of Igbide Kingdom.
6 ) HRM Michael Avwerotakpo Eyareya (Eyareya II) as the Orovworere of Effurun-Otor Kingdom.
My Worry
Where is this foolhardiness, this temerity, this ‘iberiberism’ coming from? That a governor has appointed traditional rulers. How, since when, by what authority, statute or law?
First it was governor approving appointments of monarchs by their people. Now it is the governor appointing. We know the interest in stating these reckless statements.
The audacity is encouraged by the escalating government interference in the selection of monarchs among kingdoms.
A sitting governor wants total control, dominance over the entire space, including communities’ leaderships without earning their respect. The ultimate interest is to control all units of authority in all LGAs to political ambition of the governor, his political party and associates.
So the easiest way is to impose community chairmen, impose monarchs and clan leaderships. So to become a community Chairman, a clan President General and King of over a kingdom, you must be, not a card carrying member of the governor’s party, but a loud bellringer for the governor and your local political leaders.
This inclination to politicise kingship is to the extent that governor now decides who becomes king even outside his own kingdom.
It has become very easy, for non hereditary stools, for the governor to sponsor and impose cronies in the often heated struggle for kingship.
And Kings who refuse to bend to the whims and caprices of the governor in power face all manners of intimidations, chiefly among them is the balkanization of their domain to have a rival monarch loyal to the governor.
A case is simmering in Orogun at moment where some persons are promoting a splinter Orogun Kingdom. As Governor James Ibori did with Jesse Kingdom in 2006 to please political man Friday, Ighoyota Amori and Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan did with Abraka in 2012 to assert political dominance while turning deaf ears on agitation to split his Itsekiri kingship, we strongly believe there is the hand of government in the Orogun situation today.
This growing impunity is why Delta state now has a number of government imposed kings without subjects and palaces in their supposed domain. In all modesty, we have an Urhobo monarch who was imposed and crowned by the Delta state government under Gov Sheriff Oborevwori.
Imposed and presented under heavy Police, DSS and Military protection against the dissent by his subjects for not meeting the criteria for the stool, this monarch defacto Ovie without subjects, living as a tenant outside his domain.
In all honesty this trajectory of impunity must stop under Governor Oborevwori. It is untenable and terribly inciting. No governor, not even the President has power to determine and appointment who becomes king. No law supports such abuse of power that a governor now appoints traditional rulers.
We have observed that the Governor only exercise such impunity on weak kingdoms. Can any governor truncate the son replacing a father in Agbor Kingdom. Even in non hereditary selection of an Asagba of Asaba as witnesses recently, could Governor Oborevwori dare publish that he appointed legal luminary, Prof Epiphany Azinge (SAN) as the eventual Asagba, chosen by his people?
Oborevwori must discourage, forthwith, the unhealthy language and choice of words by government the selection of monarchs. Governors don’t appoint or even approve traditional rulers. The selection, pick and coronation (crowing) of king is the prerogative of the subjects through the respective kingdom’s colleges of kingmakers.
The people elect and coronate their kings. After that Governor merely acknowledged whoever is crowned based on laid down rules and he presents staff of office to cement that recognition for the purpose of paying benefits to the monarch.
The Governor needs to apologize to Delta for abuse of office in his reckless claim of appointing monarchs. And he must, forthwith, expunge that language, arrogance and delusion from his administration.
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