LAGOS/Nigeria: President-General of the Okpe Union Worldwide, Prof. Igho Natufe, has questioned the involvement of traditional rulers in partisan politics, following the recent endorsement of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori as the sole candidate of the Urhobo Nation for the 2027 governorship election.
Natufe, in a statement issued in Lagos, argued that traditional institutions risk compromising the neutrality of the throne when monarchs openly identify with political parties or candidates.
The Forum of Urhobo Traditional Rulers, known as Ukoko R’Ivie R’Urhobo, announced its endorsement of Oborevwori on September 10, 2026, after a meeting at the Palace of the Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, Effurun. The forum said its position was aimed at addressing political tension and promoting unity and stability across Urhobo communities ahead of the 2027 election.
Natufe, however, maintained that the declaration was difficult to reconcile with the forum’s description of itself as apolitical. He questioned the decision to designate one aspirant as the sole candidate of the Urhobo Nation and the reported position that other governorship aspirants should not receive royal blessings from traditional rulers.
He said the development had revived a broader debate about the place of traditional institutions within Nigeria’s republican political system.
According to Natufe, the political status of traditional rulers has changed considerably from the period before and during British colonial rule. He cited the work of the Political Bureau established by the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida, which examined Nigeria’s political history and the possible role of traditional institutions in governance.
Natufe said the Political Bureau had recommended that traditional rulers should have no specific role in government beyond the local government level, where, according to its report, they retained relevance.
He used the historical argument to question what he described as the continuing search for a formal political role for traditional rulers in Nigeria.
“Traditional rulership is incongruous with a republican political system,” Natufe argued, while contending that the traditional institution should not become an extension of partisan politics.
He also linked the current debate in Delta State to the state government’s January 2026 presentation of 65 Sports Utility Vehicles to traditional rulers.
At the January ceremony in Asaba, Governor Oborevwori presented 60 Toyota Prado SUVs and five Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles to members of the Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers. The governor described the vehicles as “tools of service” and traditional rulers as important intermediaries between government and communities at the grassroots.
The Chairman of the Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers and Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, HRM Orhue I, subsequently expressed appreciation for the gesture and assured the governor of the traditional institution’s support for his administration.
Natufe questioned whether there was a connection between that January development and the subsequent political position taken by some Urhobo traditional rulers in September. His suggestion remains an assertion by him and has not been established as a causal relationship by the reports reviewed.
The Okpe Union president also referred to recent comments by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who has urged traditional rulers in Oyo State to remain politically neutral ahead of the 2027 elections.
Makinde, speaking during the first coronation anniversary of the Eleruwa of Eruwa, Oba Samuel Adebayo Adegbola Ajobo Olurin I, urged traditional rulers to remain accessible to political actors across party lines rather than openly endorsing candidates.
Natufe argued that the neutrality of traditional institutions was important to maintaining public confidence in the traditional throne.
He said a monarch who openly campaigns for a political party or candidate could alienate citizens who support other political choices and thereby diminish the perceived neutrality of the institution.
“A throne that campaigns for any political party or candidate automatically betrays the rest of the citizens of that given nationality,” Natufe said.
The debate comes as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections, with the role of traditional rulers in political engagement attracting competing views. While the Urhobo traditional rulers said their endorsement was motivated by concerns about unity, peace and political stability, critics including Natufe have questioned whether such intervention is compatible with the traditional institution’s claim to political neutrality.
