…Says His Tenure Has Expired
- Insists Himself, Olu of Warri only first class Kings in Delta State
- Says Obi of Owa was subject to Agbor monarch
The raging firework among Delta State traditional rulers over the control of the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council seems to have assumed another dimension as HRM Keagborekuzi Benjamin Ikenchuku I, Dein of Agbor kingdom has fired back at the Obi of Owa, HRM Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor, reminding him that his tenure as the Chairman of the Council has expired and therefore lacks the capacity to speak or act on behalf of the body.
The Agbor Monarch also told the Owa royal father that, going by historical records, the Obi of Agbor who is now titled the Dein of Agbor and the Olu of Warri are the only First Class kings in Delta State, adding that their progenitors were the only monarchs who were members of the then Western Nigeria House of Chiefs and who are by virtue of that could be classified as First Class kings.
The Agbor monarch who made this declaration in a six-paragraph statement today, noted that the Obi of Owa cannot continue to lay claim to the chairmanship of the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council, when his tenure had long expired, adding that at the moment, the Council has no leader.
It would be recalled that the Dein of Agbor, while on a courtesy visit to the Olu-Designate of Warri kingdom recently, stated that he, the Agbor monarch and the Olu of Warri are the only first class kings in Delta State.
This claim has drawn the ire of the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council which issued a statement through the Owa monarch, condemning the position of the Dein over his claim of royal superiority in the State.
However, while reacting to the statement by Traditional Rulers Council, the Dein attacked the purported State chairman of the body, the Obi of Owa, stating that his tenure as the chairman had long expired, adding that he is no longer in a position to speak on behalf of the Council.
Furthermore, the Dein reiterated his earlier position that only he and the Olu of Warri are the First Class traditional rulers in the State, explaining further that the Obi of Owa kingdom was a subject to the Obi of Agbor in time past.
According to him, the Obi of Agbor was not a creation of Delta State but that of the old Western Region, explaining further that the present dynasty of Agbor Kingdom dates back to AD1270.
The six-paragraph statement issued by the Agbor monarch reads thus:
- “That the Council of Traditional Rulers of Delta State does not have an executive Council at the moment. No one should therefore purport to speak for a body that is presently headless.
“The tenure of the Obi of Owa, Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor as Chairman of the Council of Traditional Rulers of Delta State has long elapsed and can therefore no longer act or speak for the body. The communique issued by persons claiming to speak for the council is therefore invalid, out of order, null, void and of no value or effect whatsoever. It should be discounted and ignored by everyone.
“The Obi of Owa, Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor has ceased to be Chairman of the Council of Traditional Rulers of Delta State and is presently in breach of the laws setting up the body.
- “That Agbor Kingdom is not a creation of the laws of Delta State and our king cannot be named by it. The statement signed by the Obi of Owa and his collaborators insults and denigrates our revered king by referring to him as the Obi of Agbor “as properly and legally known”.
“The Dein of Agbor is the occupier of the throne of Agbor before whom the forebears of the Obi of Owa knelt in greetings and supplication as their king and overlord. They were the Ayuwè of Agbor Kingdom whose descendant should not be permitted to denigrate his overlord, the Dein of Agbor.
- “That Dein is the title of Keagborekuzi Benjamin Ikenchuku the First, Dein of Agbor Kingdom, the present occupant of the throne of Agbor and inheritor of the bloodline of Dein Eborka, founder and progenitor of the present dynasty of Agbor Kingdom since AD1270. Agbor kingdom does not need Government laws or gazette to name our king.
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“That any traditional ruler who was not a member of the Western Nigeria House of Chiefs cannot be called a first class Traditional Ruler today in Delta State. That is the truth as expressed by the Dein of Agbor.
“Obika Gbenoba, the Obi of Agbor as he was then addressed and Olu of Warri were both members of the Western Region House of Chiefs.
“Obika Gbenoba, the king of Agbor was also a cabinet Minister of the Western Region of Nigeria who was honoured and cited as a first class Traditional Ruler during award to him of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR). He received the award along with His Highness O. Onyetenu, Asagba of Asaba on the 1st of October 1965.
- “That any king whose throne and claim to Kingship did not predate colonialism cannot be truly called a king as he is a creation of the British Colonial Government. Such “king” can only be in the mould of the Warrant Chiefs appointed by the British Colonial Government in the Eastern Region and other British Colonies.
“There cannot be kings without kingdoms. The Obi of Owa throne was self-declared in 1951 during the last decade of colonialism in Nigeria to break away from Agbor kingdom.
- “That the facts of history cannot be revised or changed to suit the fancies of current politics. The Council of Traditional Rulers of Delta State should be a custodian of the history, culture and traditions of the people of the state and should not be run to suit the politics of the times.”
