…declares Udu 1979 Edict invalid
In utter desperation and frustration in failing to push through his father to son succession plans, the Ovie of Udu Kingdom, HRM Barr E.B.O Delekpe has dissolved the Udu traditional Council, promising to unilaterally set up a new Council made up of hand-picked young chiefs to drive his agenda for Udu Kingdom, abrogating the 1979 Edict which brought him to power and tongue-lashing prominent Udu leaders for daring to share contrary opinion to his.
The Ovie made the declaration on Thursday when members of the Ufuoma Udu mediation Committee on the UUC crisis, presented their report, affirming that instead of holding on to his unpopular choice of Chief Moses Uparan as the UUC President General, they would rather wish that a fresh election be conducted since Omiragwa Austin Akpotu Emaduku, whom the Ovie does not want to accept is the popular choice of Udu people.
The Ovie, in a rage of fury, rubbished the report, branding all members of the Committee as stranger elements not worthy of ascending the throne of Udu Kingdom, after him or anytime ever.
The monarch, who was visibly angry with the Committee report, call the 7 ruling houses in Udu as strangers who came to settle in a land which originally belong to Owhorhu, and so, the succession to the throne must be restricted to Owhorhu so the father to son succession arrangement could be adopted.
The Udu Monarch insisted that rotational succession arrangement was obsolete and that any Kingdom still practicing such obnoxious traditional succession plan is either unaware of its history or not prepared to adopt modern trends in traditional leadership.
He dismissed the 1979 Edict that brought him to power as a product of misguided thinking by the founding fathers of Udu and that modern realities have overtaken that document as he was the only one to benefit from that Edict, insisting that succession to the throne must be within his royal family.
Trashing the report of the Committee, the Udu Monarch insisted that he was practicing absolute monarchy and that none of his subjects have the right to question his pronouncements.
The meeting was attended by prominent Udu sons and daughters including Engr Mike Orugbo, Engr Alex Neyin, Chief Mrs Elizabeth Odjugo, Chief Mrs Elizabeth Okene, Chief Luke Ogedegbe, Chief Steve Sokoh and others whom he referred to as stranger elements to their face banishing the older chiefs from all palace activities as he was now set to elevate the young chiefs he conferred Chieftaincy titles recently to UTC members.
A prominent Udu son, who spoke on condition of anonymity expressed disgust with the disposition of the Ovie, warning that Udu was going down in splendor and dignity everyday because of the shenanigans being witnessed in the palace.
Our source wondered how the Ovie has been accessing funds that accrue to the palace in the absence of a functional UTC as the body in place hitherto was defective and not properly constituted.
The chief disclosed that if every Udu villages are strangers and ordinary settlers as the King alleged, “Then we have no place in this palace. The rest of Udu may therefore apply for their own Kingdom while the king is left with his Owhorhu Kingdom. This is sad” he added.
Members of the mediation committee which included the local Government Chairman, Chief Jite Brown had recommended that in the event that the Ovie was not willing to accept that Omiragwa Austin Akpotu Emaduku, is the popular choice of the people, a fresh election should be conducted for all positions of the UUC, including the position of President General where other interest persons would be allowed to contest
The drama at the palace took place before the very eye of representative of the Urhobo Progress Union, Barr Chief Emmanuel Omovie, while Ufuoma Udu was led to the meeting by the incumbent President, Chief Luke Djebah, the Ovwata of Udu Kingdom.
