By John Jones
OBIARUKU/Nigeria: The chieftaincy crises that had been raging in Amai Kingdom, Ukwuani Local Government Area of Delta State, may take a new turn, if information made available to Ndokwa Reporters, turns out to be true.
Information received had indicates that, barrelling any last minute change, the people of Amai will have a new king after many years of court cases challenging the assumed selection of Chief Solomon Ifenezuchie, as the king elect.
To forestall the issuing of staff of office as had been planned, sections of the community had been embroil in protest, and gun shots since yesterday.
A community leader who spoke to our correspondent yesterday during the protest, stated that the government of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, because of the forthcoming election is doing all it can to garner votes, at the detriment of the people, he is supposed to protect.
As at this morning, June 20, 2018, its gathered that the issuing of staff of office to Chief Solomon Ifenezuchie as the King of Amai, tops the schedule of the deputy Governor, Barr Kingsley Otuaro, whose office is in charge of the activities of traditional rulers in the state, is to move from Igbo-Uku, where he is to perform his constitutional rights of issuing staff of office to the King Elect there, before traveling to Amai, to perform same function
Ndokwa Leaders, Okowa Put on Notice of Looming Danger
Meanwhile, a statement by the Scribe of one of the quarters of Amai Kingdom, Umuekum, Chief Alfred Onyenwosa, and addressed to the Ndokwa Ethnic Nation and the Delta State government, the letter drew the attention of the state government to the existing court injunction.
The release which tends to call the attention of the state government and the leadership in Ndokwa nation, says that disregarding the court injunction in the kingship tussle, is nothing but incubating tension.
According to the release, it stated that from available information, the state Executive Council in a meeting on 12 June, 2018.
The letter stated that the surprising thing about the so called executive council meeting took a decision on the 12 of June, 2018, and decided to issue staff of office on the 20 of June, 2018.
The scribe of the Umuekum quarter called the action of the state government, the entire EXCO as unjust to the Umuekum Ruling House.
“This is an obvious injustice to the people of Umuekum Ruling House, who are known to be very peaceful without a single history of community violence.”
The statement quarried the decision of the EXCO, under the watch of the Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who recently was widely quoted, that gazetted procedures must be followed in kingship succession.
Government decision to wrongly back someone who not only lost the Kingship election, but was never duly presented by the appropriate authority (the Onotu Uku, or Ugo of Umuekum Ruling House) at “Isu Asua” is inconsistent with Governor Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa’s stand that gazetted procedures must be followed in Kingship succession.”
The statement warned of the consequences of such action to muscle the people against their will, as it will do no good but to only generate tension, as it also accused some politicians in the area of fuelling the problem.
“The recent interest to bypass truth, tradition and to foist an individual sponsored by inordinate politicians who believe in muscling people can only generate tension.”
The statement appealed to the people of Ndokwa nation and the state government to allow the law to go its full length, to allow peace to reign.
“Umuekum Ruling House is therefore alerting all concerned people of Ndokwa ethnic Nation in particular, and Delta State in general on the foregoing development, and to appropriately guide the powers that be to allow status quo to remain pending the full determination of the case in the Court of Law.”
Meanwhile evidence available to Ndokwa Reporters indicates that the court sitting in Kwale on the 7 of May, 2018 restrained the government from issuing staff of office to any party in the dispute pending when the case is decided by the court.
But in the next sitting which was on the May 31, 2018, the counsel representing the state tried to vacate the injunction, and the trial judge over ruled the request, and the case was fixed to hold on Wednesday 20, and Thursday, 21, of June 2018.
According to an insider into the matter, there is a high political under tone to undermine the judiciary in the case.
A called and sms placed to the information commissioner, Mr Patrick Ukah, his counterpart in Local Government Affairs on the issue did no yield any result.
Further investigation revealed that if the government find the Amai environment to be a security threat, Chief Paul Ifenezuchie and his supporters will be invited to Asaba to receive the staff of office.
