Politics
AS a new Asagba of Asaba is about to be named today, the appropriate traditional leadership assigned the role of selecting and announcing the new Asagba has been advised to adhere strictly to the finest teneths of Asaba tradition by ensuring the emergence of the people’s choice. The advice was given by the Concerned Asaba Indigenes, a group of eminent Asaba indigenes, even as the choice for the 14th Asagba of Asaba has now been narrowed down to two candidates; Ogbueshi (Engr.) Anthony Ogugua Konwea and Chief (Prof.) Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge. .
The group in a letter of appeal addressed to notable Asaba king makers including Prof. Anthony Onuora Edozien, Ochendo Asagba and Chief Patrick N. C. Ndili Ihonor, Secretary Asagba’s Palace, cautioned that none of the two shortlisted aspirants between Konwea and Azinge is worthy of the crown if any one of them emerges through a process that is executed in clear breach of tradition and in violation of the Customary Laws regulating succession to the Asagba stool.
The Group enjoined the kngmakers to eschew mass discontent and anarchy and ensure continued peace and tranquility in the famed peaceful capital city of Asaba by enthroning the right candidate and the popular choice as the 14th Asagba of Asaba.
The group frowned at the implication of the unexpected introduction of “no rotation or zoning within Ugbomanta in the nomination and selection process”. Impliedly, “any qualified man can be selected, regardless of the family, Idumu, or Ogbe where he hails from within Ugbomanta.” It noted that zoning has been an age long device that engenders inclusiveness, equity, and fairness among the contending individuals, villages and Ebos. It is unheard of in the history of rotational Asagbaship that the Ochendo or the Asagba-in-Council restricts the freedom of the Ebo to conduct its selection process as it deems appropriate. The injunction issued by the Asagba-in-Council that there should be no zoning within Ugbomanta quarters is unprecedented. The Council is alleged to deliberately seek to confer undue advantage to Umudaike village that produced the Asagba the last time Ugbomanta produced the Asagba.
Adding a strong voice to the issue, an eminent Asaba Chief and the Okpala Onisha, Ogbueshi Olisamedua Uwaechia, raised concerns on the voiding of rotation by the Asagba-in-Council conveyed by its letter of 7th August 2024 to the Okpala-Ukwu Ugbomanta He noted that the nullification of the equity inspired rotational system was wrong and unwarranted.
Uwaechia also contended that “the declaration of law in the 1979 Traditional Rules and Chiefs Edict pertaining to rotation of the Asagba Stool imposed no limitations regarding its deployment by the Ebo to its constituents, that the declaration granted or conceded no mandate or authority to any institution or body within Asaba, including the Ochendo or Asagba-in-Council, to fiddle with its clear terms on the subject matter. He asserted that there is no known precedence in the history of Asaba leadership succession where the Council issued an order to restrict the freedom of an Ebo in conducting its succession process”.
Meanwhile, the oldest man in Ugbomanta Kandum (Ogbueshi) Dr. Luke Enenmo, has picked holes with the emergence of one of the two front runners Chief Prof. Epiphany Azinge and urged him to withdraw from the race. He likened Azinge’s declaration for the vacant throne to swimming against the tide. His poser to Azinge is that “You are the 4th son of your worthy parents. You have 3 elder brothers: Ogbueshi Kanene, Ogbueshi Jonny and Pastor Kenneth and you want to allow your senior brothers of the same parents to come and be bowing to you as Asagba of Asaba?”. He noted that “Historically, the past 13 Asagba of Asaba has always been the eldest son of their parents” and that Azinge has been Godly knighted by the Church and the Pope and that Asaba gods can never put another crown on your head to conflict with the one you already have. And you cannot put down the crown on your head to pursue the traditional stool for another crown”.
It seems that Ochendu and the Council are bent on moving on with the process in spite of the protests of majority of the citizens. A meeting of the Council has been summoned for later today, Sunday, the 18th August 2024 to anoint their nominee. There seems to be a general uproar in Asaba that the Council is acting in breach of laws regulating succession to the Asagba Stool and in violation of established Asaba custom and tradition.
In another letter dated 15th August 2024, addressed to the Ochendo Asagba, Diokpa Olisamedua Uwaechia of Isieke pleaded as follows:
“Ochendo, I believe that it is important for you to see and read this letter. The reason is that any action or decision that you take or make on the back of your meeting with Okpala-Ukwu Ugbomanta and Diokpas without complying with paragraph 4 of the Declaration Made Under Section 8, of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Edict of 1979 will be illegal and will inflict catastrophic consequences on Asaba and its people”.
He noted further that “the power to select the nominee or nominees of Ugbomanta to the stool is vested by law in “adult males of the quarter”. In this respect, our action as Diokpas may have unintentionally disenfranchised the adult male citizens of Ugbomanta”.
Whether the Ochendo and his Council would heed this timely warning remains to be seen.
A cross section of Asaba indigenes both at home and in diaspora are united in their clamour that the next Asagba of Asaba should be accessible, accommodating, cosmopolitan and exude uncommon affection for the people. He must evince the statesman like virtues of wisdom and temperance. And more importantly, the process of selecting the nominee must be fair, transparent and equitable.
17th August, 2024.
C.E.
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