Kinsmen Call out to Wike over dethroned monarch
The people of Ekinigbo Clan Council in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State have cried out over the dethroning of their traditional ruler, Eze Gift Johnson by Governor Nyesom Wike.
The monarch, who was crowned Eze Oha Apara IV, was said to have received a letter from the state government two weeks ago, informing him of the cancellation and withdrawal of government recognition from him.
It was gathered that the people of the clan, including their leader, became agitated over the development, especially the recognition of Mr. Chike Worlu-Wodo as the new King of Apara Kingdom.
Addressing a crowd in Obio/Akpor on Thursday, the Chairman of Ekinigbo Clan Council, Chinedum Johnson Amadi, explained that the purported cancellation and withdrawal of government recognition from Eze Johnson by the governor was maliciously conceived to ridicule the ancestral stool, embarrass the incumbent and cause anarchy in Apara Kingdom.
Amadi said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the reigning Eze Oha Apara was properly selected by the Rumukesiorlu Royal Kingmakers after due consultations.
“He (monarch) was properly coroneted and duly presented to the public in line with the established customs and tradition of Ikwerre people for purposes of installing a bonafide occupant of an ancestral stool.
“While the Governor of Rivers State has the powers to withdraw recognition from a sitting paramount ruler under Section 13 of the State Traditional Rulers Law No. 4 of 2015, we have found absolutely nothing in the same law that empowers the governor to assume the role of kingmakers right inside the Government House.
“Luckily, Governor Wike is a lawyer and son of Apara Kingdom and should, therefore, properly weigh the grave consequences of dragging the highly exalted ancestral stool of Eze Oha Apara into the troubled waters of politics of recrimination,” he added.
The clan council chairman read from a prepared speech signed by himself, the Secretary, Ekinigbo Clan Council of Chiefs, Eze Allwell Egeonu, Chairman, Ekinigbo Owhor Holders, Elder Samuel Egeonu, Chairman, Ekinigbo Opinion Leaders, Deacon John Okocha.
They, however, informed Wike, that the clan would take legal and customary steps to stop its revered stool from further ridicule by self-serving politicians and their cohorts if Johnson was not reinstated as king.
“We wish to state quite categorically that the Ekinigbo Clan Council will not allow anybody to play vindictive politics with our highly revered ancestral stool as Governor Wike appears to be doing by claiming to have personally ‘selected and installed’ one Mr. Chike Worlu-Wodo as Eze Oha Apara.
“For the avoidance of doubt, His Royal Majesty, Eze Git Eziwho Johnson was given certificate, recognition and staff of office by the immediate past administration of Rivers State in which our son, Governor Wike served as chief of staff before he voluntarily withdrew his services to pursue his political ambition.
“We are happy that Chief Nyesom Wike, is the governor of Rivers State today and our hope is that his tenure will be of immense benefit to Ekinigbo Clan and Apara Kingdom,” Amadi said.
However, efforts made to get the reaction of the State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, Dr. John Bazia, proved futile as several calls to his mobile phone were not answered while a text message sent to him was also not replied.
