Starting from Monday, the Uromi King Zaiki Edenojie II will serve a one-year ban imposed on him by Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
Uromi King Zaiki Edenojie II
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state,
who leaves office next week, has suspended the Uromi King Zaiki Edenojie
II for one year, effective from Monday.
In addition, the monarch who rules the
home town of Chief Tony Anenih, the PDP big gun, will lose all his
rights and privileges that he had hitherto exercised and also lose a
share of the five per cent revenue accruing to the local council.
The Edo State Government announced the
king’s suspension late on Friday for failing to apologise within the
stipulated period to a woman, Ms Betty Okoeber, whom he allegedly
assaulted on September 28, among other infractions.
In a suspension letter dated November 4,
2016 signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Julius
Ihonvbere, the one-year suspension takes effect from Monday, November 7.
The letter reads: “The Governor of
Edo State, Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole is in receipt of your letter
of 28th October, 2016 on the above subject matter. Mr. Governor observed
that your activities since you were initially suspended from office as
Ojuromi of Uromi have raised issues that require further determination.
“It is important, for record
purposes, to recount what has led to the present situation. Discounting
your previous conduct, on the 28th of September 2016, you left your
Palace during voting and moved from polling booth to polling booth
campaigning and trying to coerce voters to vote for your preferred party
and candidate; you went to a polling booth which was not where you
registered to vote and tried to compel others to vote for your preferred
candidate; when one of the voters, Ms. Betty Okoebor refused to yield
to your threats, you assaulted her causing grievous bodily harm.
“Following from this, the Government,
viewing your conduct as utterly embarrassing, disgraceful and
unbecoming of a traditional ruler, issued you with a query and directed
that you reply within 72 hours.
“You ignored the query, travelled not
just out of your domain but outside the country without permission. The
flagrant arrogance of power and disregard for constituted authority
compelled the State Executive Council in Session to suspend you from
office as Ojuromi of Uromi for 7 days in exercise of its legal powers.
You were directed not to parade yourself as Ojuromi, carry out any
activity as Ojuromi, to apologise to Ms. Okoebor and also to the Edo
State Government.
“It is instructive to note that in
your “Letter of Apology” of 28th October, 2016, you trivialised the
gravity of your misconduct by describing what took place in public glare
on the 28th of September, where you were the assailant as an
“altercation” and “family” affair. Your public assault and disgrace of a
citizen of the Federal Republic, in your estimation, was a non-issue.
“To ridicule the Edo State Government
and deride the directive that you apologise to Ms. Okoebor, you
proceeded to organise a “forgiveness Session” in your Palace, in your
capacity as Ojuromi, wearing a crown even when you were still suspended
from Office, purporting to be “forgiving” Ms. Okoebor.
“At the said “forgiveness Session”,
you compelled the victim of your assault to apologise to you for the
assault against her person, while on her knees and made to remain in
same position while being interviewed by journalists.
“You had the embarrassing session
videoed and aired repeatedly on television subjecting Ms. Okoebor to
double jeopardy and double disgrace by expanding the frontiers of her
embarrassment to a global level through the electronic and social media.
This represents nothing short of a deliberate effort to further
aggravate the pain and humiliation of your victim.
“You claimed in your letter that Ms.
Okoebor had “reconciled herself to the Throne” which conveys the
impression that you still represented the Throne from which you had been
suspended, and further stated that she is your “subject” and you had
“forgiven” her. This was in gross violation of the terms of your
suspension from office as provided for in extant laws.
The Government of Edo State does not accept that there are “subjects” in Nigeria but citizens of the Federal Republic.
“You will recall that the assault on
Ms. Okoebor which was incidented at the Uromi Police Station on
September 28, 2016, remains under investigation by the Police as a
criminal act. This act, which in itself negates expectations from the
exalted office of a traditional ruler, cannot be tolerated by the
government in a constitutional democracy.
“Government has also received
official security reports as to your high handedness in addressing
relations with operators of the cattle market in Uromi to wit:
unilaterally dissolving their association; appointing your preferred
person to head the association, banishing their elected leader from
Uromi, illegally taking over the cattle market and stalls that they
built themselves, banning about eight butchers from doing business in
the Uromi market and assigning the responsibility for collecting revenue
for the Local Government Council to your own preferred person even
without authority from the Council. You equally laid claim to ownership
of the land, which was legally allocated to the cattle marketers in the
year 2000, among other infractions. These are not the actions of a law
abiding traditional ruler who believes in promoting peace, unity and
development in Uromi communities.
“The Government of Edo State has high
regards for traditional institutions and for the values and customs of
our people. However, the Government, shall, under no condition,
tolerate indiscipline, reckless abuse of traditional privileges,
disrespect for its pronouncements, and flagrant humiliation of
law-abiding citizens of the State.
“In view of the facts established
above, taking cognizance of your letter of apology that falls short of
the public apology expected from you within the stipulated time, and the
earlier suspension letter which had specified dethronement after 7
days; in exercise of its powers, the Government of Edo State hereby
commutes your dethronement to a one-year suspension from office as
Ojuromi of Uromi in accordance with Section 28(1) of the Traditional
Rulers and Chiefs Law (1979) with effect from the 7th of November, 2016.
“During this period of suspension
under extant laws, you are hereby stripped of all the privileges and
rights of the Ojuromi of Uromi and barred from performing any duties
whatsoever in that regard. By virtue of this suspension from office,
your remuneration from the 5 percent monthly FAC allocation to the Local
Government shall be appropriated and donated to orphanages during his
period.”
NAN
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