Protest rocked Okpella in Etsako East local government area of Edo State following what the community leaders and traditional elders considered as the “imposition” of Engr Lukeman Akemokhue as the new Okueokpellagbe of Okpella.
Recall that the state government, through the commissioner for Local government, community and chieftaincy affairs, Monday Osaigbovo, while presenting the letter of appointment to the new monarch, said the State Executive Council (SEC) has approved his appointment as the Okueokpellagbe of Okpella, effective from September 26, 2024.
Governor Godwin Obaseki’s decision came almost a year after the entire Okpella traditional council including the Senior Ataru Okpella, Chief Odabor nominated Engr Mike Sado as the chosen candidate for the position in line with the tradition of the town.
The declaration of Akemokhue as the new rulersparked protest in the mineral-rich Okpella community as the leaders insisted that the governor should immediately reconsider his decision to avoid plunging Okpella into a communal crisis.
Leaders of Okpella community, including revered traditional heads, have unequivocally denounced Governor Obaseki’s move, labeling it as a blatant desecration of their sacred traditions, asserting that it’s a politically driven decision to sow discord within the peaceful community.
“These actions are an affront to our heritage,” declared a prominent community leader, Engr Abu Abdulganiyu, who led a protest, sounding warning against any attempt by the governor to install his preferred candidate for the traditional stool.
Speaking during the protest in Okpella, Abdulganiyu said, “The traditional stool is not a tool for political bartering or compensation and its sanctity must be respected.
“We have a king and we know who we want. Obaseki can’t impose a king on us when he has a few weeks to leave us,” he said.
Abdulganiyu had earlier warned that any attempt to foist a political monarch on the community would be resisted by the people of Okpella.
Similarly, the Otaru of Iddo community, a respected custodian of Okpella traditions, High Chief Kasshim Otaru, denounced Governor Obaseki’s last minute move, stressing that it defies their time-honoured customs.
He explained that, according to Okpella traditions, the community, not outsiders like Obaseki, chooses its kings through established procedures.
“Nobody selects a king for us. We make our decision within the community, announce it, and then inform the government. Our procedures are clear and we won’t accept the governor’s decision,” he said.
A former Edo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation and spokesperson of former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, Prince Kassim Afegbua, in a statement yesterday accused Obaseki of trying to “plunge Edo State into a communal war” by bypassing traditional selection processes.
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