Intriques amnd power play among members of Okpella Clan in Etsako East Local Government of Edo State are making it difficult for the community to have a new traditional ruler for almost two years, Daily Trust on Sunday reports.
Okpella Clan, one of the communities that make up Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State, has been without a clan head since the death of the late Okwokpellagbe of Okpella, Alhaji Andrew Yesufu Eshioramhe Dirisu.
The late Okwokpellagbe died on February 17, 2019 and since then, efforts to get a successor has not yielded fruits so the clan has been without a substantive clan head for over two years.
It was gathered that efforts by the kingmakers to produce a successor has been in vain as the process has been halted by the state government following intrigues and power play by some community members.
Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that the stool is being rotated between two ruling houses – Ogute and Otekhu, and it is the turn of Otekhu House to produce the next Okwokpellagbe because the late king was from Ogute ruling house.
As part of tradition, when the clan head dies, the kingmakers commence the process of getting a successor after 90 days.
It was, however, gathered that the inability of the Otekhu ruling house to agree on who should be the successor was largely responsible for the development, coupled with the court cases and politics that has been introduced into the process.
The youths of the community, under the aegis of Association of Okpella Youths Initiative (AOYI), following the continued absence of a clan head, staged a peaceful protest, calling on Governor Godwin Obaseki to urgently put measures in place to install a new clan head for the community.
Speaking with Daily Trust on Sunday, a community member, Umar Kadiri Afegbua, said “It is the turn of Otekhu ruling house which comprises Iddo, Afokpella and Ogiriga. They are to produce the next Okwokpellagbe of Okpella.
“There is an existing gazette adopted in 1979 by the defunct Bendel State government that unambiguously spells out the procedures to be followed in choosing a new king for Okpella Clan.”
He said the kingmakers actually followed the process before politics set in.
“As you know, in anything we are doing today, there’s always an element of politics. Some people claimed that some persons aspiring are not from Okpella and should not be allowed to contest the exalted stool.
“So, they asked many others to also contest the vacant stool and at the end of the day, about three names were selected early last year 2020 and forwarded to the state government.
“Thereafter, some factions sprang up within the Otekhu ruling house. Also, some people went to court, praying that the selection process should be put on hold and that the status quo should be maintained.”
According to him, the squabble got to the state government, with some people reducing the issue to an APC/PDP affair. “Some people are supporting the contestants on party affiliations, saying ‘you can’t aspire if you are of the APC while others say if you are not PDP, you can’t aspire for the stool’. This is really embarrassing to say the least.
“However, the people of Okpella had to rise against all the unnecessary antics; politics has never been a consideration in the selection of Okwokpellagbe. Lobbying is allowed, while the laid down traditions in selecting a successor to the throne must be followed.”
He explained, “In choosing the Okwokpellagbe, the kingmakers have to look at the character, past records of contesters and how the community would fare in terms of progress and development when such person eventually ascends the throne as the Okwokpellagbe of Okpella.”
Afegbua said the governor through the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs is supposed to make a pronouncement regarding the new Okwokpellagbe of Okpella; unfortunately, the Edo State government has not appointed commissioners and this is the reason for the delay in choosing and subsequent coronation of a substantive Okwokpellagbe.
He noted that many things in the community which the Okwokpellagbe should take care of or decide through consultations with his chiefs are currently suffering but “what is happening now is that the chiefs take unilateral decisions for their respective villages, while the clan continues to experience setbacks with respect to development, representation outside the clan, empowerment and positive direction towards greatness.
“People do not know how monies accruing to the community are being spent. Before now, such monies are unified and used for community development. Nowadays, it is difficult to tell when such monies are released or how they are spent.”
On the court cases, the people Okpella have resolved that all litigations that may be hindering the smooth process of selecting and installing the new Okwokpellagbe should be withdrawn in the interest of the community.
Umar Afegbua said there is no visible direction in the clan because of the vacuum the demise of the former king created, as different people now call the shots with no centralized ideas and decisions unlike when they had a substantive Okwokpellagbe.
He said the relationship between the community and the companies or industries operating in the area is also affected as there is no clan head to coordinate things in an organized manner.
“People are now capitalizing on the vacuum to defraud the community and no body is pushing for the development of the community in terms of politics, meaningful representation, attraction of worthwhile projects, among others.
“Presently, the community lacks a purposeful direction as everybody is fighting for his or her selfish interests occasioned by absence of a substantive Okwokpellagbe.”
Afegbua, however, appealed to the state government to expedite actions regarding the selection and installation of the new clan head to accelerate the much-desired development Okpella earnestly yearns for.
On his part, the President Association of Okpella Youths Initiative, Alasa Bayo Oshioriamhe, said the inability to have a substantive Okwokpellagbe is affecting the community negatively.
“The development of the community is at its lowest ebb and there is nobody to interface with the government and speak on behalf of the community. Many things the community is supposed to benefit from the companies in the areas are no longer there because we don’t have a clan head,” he said.
He added that peace has eluded the community as dialogue on any issue can no longer be concluded.
“Things that the youths are supposed to get from the government and companies are no longer there because the clan head whom the youths should have run to is not there. We are suffering in Okpella,” he added.
He called on the Otekhu ruling house to come together and agree on who should be installed as the Okwopellagbe so that they can have a new clan head.
He also called on the state government to call the people to order, advise them and probably set up a committee to help them in putting things in order.
On their part, youths under the aegis of Association of Okpella Youths Initiative (AOYI), have called on Governor Godwin Obaseki to, as a matter of urgency, commence the processes leading to the appointment and subsequent coronation of the next Okwokpellagbe of Okpella.
They said the lingering issue surrounding the vacant stool is giving rise to tension in the community.
The Association’s President, Mr. Alasa Dayo Eshioramhe, and Secretary-General, Mr. Yusuf Mohammed Shamsudeen, during a peaceful protest, said the unfortunate impasse is not good for cohesion, investments and development of the clan.
They said the continued absence of a substantive Okwokpellagbe, has negatively impacted on the community in terms of infrastructural development and collective quest for unity amongst the villages in the clan.
The association said if urgent steps are not taken by the government to conclude the selection and eventual coronation of the next Okwokpellagbe, there is the propensity that the protests could turn into full-blown crises that would not be good for the community.
While appealing to the government to take urgent steps to address the issue, they assured that they will adopt necessary precautionary measures to prevent the situation from degenerating into avoidable anarchy in the community.
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