By Balarabe Oshiafi
A media practitioner and Prince of Afegbua dynasty of Okpella, Etsako-East local government area (LGA) of Edo State, Prince Kassim Afegbua has charged the Executive Governor of the State Godwin Obaseki on sticking to laid down rules of electing a substantive Monarch to occupy the position of the Okuokpellagbe of Okpella, a stool which has been vacant since the last King, Alhaji AYE Dirisu joined his ancestors.
In a release titled “Obaseki should not plunge Edo State into communal war, appointment of Kings is strange to our culture” and made available to ExpressDay on Friday in Abuja, Afegbua avered that the move to impose someone on the people of Okpella, regardless of due process, is a recipe for violence.
“As a last minute ditch, Governor Obaseki, is trying to impose Kings on some communities as a farewell package. Of particular interest is the one of the vacant stool of the Okukpellagbe of Okpella that has lingered for five years. It is important that he treads carefully to avoid a conflagration. It must be noted that whatever he does now by imposition will be quashed by the Senator Okpebholo’s (Governor-elect) administration.
“Governor Obaseki has not only destroyed our traditional institution, he has also balkanised same. The news we are hearing from government quarters yesterday is that one Lukeman Akemukue, Obaseki’s e-rat is being propped up to assume the exalted stool of the Okuokpellagbe of Okpella. The procedure for the election and not selection of Okuokpellagbe of Okpella is very clear. It is the people’s right to elect someone, using the traditional council and titled chiefs in line with the traditional councils edict of 1979. Trying to impose a traditional ruler simply to provoke a people will amount to deliberately creating problems for the Governor-elect of the state. Some of us may not know who becomes the Okuokpellagbe, but we know those who won’t be.
“Whatever Governor Obaseki is trying to do will be upturned by the incoming administration, hence it is pointless raising the hope of the young man for what will amount to a nullity in few weeks from now. This release is to alert all the security agencies to be awake as there is surely going to be intra communal crisis should the Governor try to supplant one of his “boys” as the Okuokpellagbe of Okpella”.
