The Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr Ado Ibrahim, has said the allegations made against him during the recent state visit of President Muhammadu Buhari by the Kogi State government are “unfortunate and unfounded.”
The monarch said this in his response dated January 6 to a query given to him by the Kogi State government through the state Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
The traditional ruler was queried for being absent on the occasion of President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent visit to the state. The royal father stated that there was no iota of truth in the allegations levelled against him, stressing that there was no official letter informing him about the visit of President Buhari on December 29 to commission the legacy projects executed by Governor Yahaya Bello.
He said the commissioner, Barrister Salami Ozigi Deedat, had visited him on December 28, 2022 at about 9.30pm, informing him that the president would visit Okene the following day to commission some projects.
Your allegations against me very unfortunate, Kogi monarch replies Yahaya Bello’s govt
Kogi queries monarch who ‘failed’ to welcome Buhari
He added that Dr Deedat instructed him to stay back in his “palace while the president will be coming to pay a courtesy visit upon his arrival.”
“On 29th of December at about 8.15am, I received an unofficial copy of the visit programme of Mr President and I noted that Mr President was meant to commission the Ohinoyi’s palace at 10.10am.
“This observation implied that Mr President was to commission another palace other than my current palace that I have been occupying since I was crowned in 1997. It is worthy of note that as the paramount ruler of Ebiraland, I have not been officially informed of the existence of any palace,” he said.
“I have been kept in the dark about the reception arrangements and necessary entertainment to welcome Mr President on his 2nd visit to Okene, extolling the pleasure of my people to receive him.
“I cannot and have no intention to exhibit deliberate attitude and actions regarded as bringing Kogi State and Ebiraland in particular to grave disrepute, and regarded therefore as quite unbecoming of a revered royal father of my status,” he said in the statement.
However, the traditional ruler added that all allegations mentioned in the query were “very unfortunate” and “unfair to my ripe experience and age, coupled with my royal dignity” in the country and international community.
He said, “It is worth mentioning to express gratitude to Governor Yahaya Bello whom I have not seen for sometime now to have informed Mr President I was unavoidably absent due to ill-health at his grand reception.
“While on the other hand, a person unknown to me represented me and read out a welcome speech to Mr President on my behalf which was not sanctioned by me.”
Meanwhile, Uk’Omu Igala Organisation, an umbrella body for all socio-cultural organisations in Kogi East, has called on Governor Bello to rethink his query to Ohinoyi of Ebira for not properly welcoming President Buhari during the president’s visit to Okene in December, 2022.
In a statement signed by the group’s national leader, Mr David Abutu, and national secretary, Dr Sabestine Abu, yesterday, Uk’Omu Igala said the Ebira traditional institution, represented by the Ohinoyi, should not be subjected to humiliation in the form of a query which had been given wide publicity in the media.
There was no additional comment from the state government after the response from the Ohinoyi.
From Tijani Labaran, Lokoja & Itodo D. Sule, Abuja
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