By Ibrahim Modibo

Your Excellency,

HAVING successfully celebrated yet another “Democracy Day” in office, let me join millions of your well wishers and supporters worldwide in congratulating you on this auspicious occasion in our national lives. It is with greatest respect and deepest sense of responsibility that I write this open letter to you on the current inconsistencies and illogical presentations on the chieftaincy tussle in Mbula land.

Just like Doctors without borders, so are the Journalists. Some might ask; what is Ibrahim’s interest in the chieftaincy affairs of Mbula land and why should he write an open letter on an issue that has little or affinity to his pedigree? In this era of technology and globalization, the world is now a global village where public relations dazzles public good and contest of ideas overcomes conflict of personalities. As an indigene of Adamawa I am a concerned citizen and an interested party.

Your Excellency, under the purview of your Government an abominable act that may likely desecrate our viable norms and values is about to happen in Mbula land. Our interest in this endeavour is to safeguard our traditional institutions from hijack by money bags that are desperate in undertaking a gradual but systematic dismantling and disintegration of our collective will and values.

With the demise of His Royal Highness, Jerome .J. Fwa, Murum Mbula, just a couple of months ago or so, there are attempts by some people with godfathers’ to truncate the traditional lineage of succession of the highly revered stool of Murum Mbula. This issue, your Excellency is as profoundly injurious to the tenets of our highly respected traditional institutions as it is to our democratic values. Towards this endeavour, it is my submission that the whole process lacks honest, transparent and selfless approach to good conscience and natural justices in every material, particular.

The deceased, Murum Mbula, J.J. Fwa as he was fondly called,

left a “big shoe” to be occupied by his successors. I remember

with palpable nostalgia his brilliance that dazzled mediocrity, his

legendary kindness, wise counsel, virtues of humility, infectious

charm and strength of character were attributes of a powerful

ruler that cannot be easily forgotten. He was a source of

inspiration that upheld the core values of tradition and culture.

In Mbula land or better still Mbula federation, the line of

succession falls within the brackets of two Royal clans of a bigger

family of royalty. Duragi and the Ndantul clans. Going down

memory lane, it could be recalled that from 1885 when HRH

Mboiman ascended the throne whose rein lasted to 1894, was of

the Ndantul clan where kingmakers actively participated in his

natural choice as a king. From then on, sapan1896 – 1906 of the

Duragi clan. This tradition of succession based on clannish

identities continued to rotate between the two clans with Usman

Mboiman 1928 – 1943, Ndantul, constant Banabe 1943 – 43 –

Duragi, Biyapo Usman 1943 – 63 – Ndantul, Joel Nzabusa Fwa –

1963 – 1993 – Duragi, whisky M, Usman 1994 – 95 Ndantul and JJ

Fwa 1995 – 2021 – Duragi

By natural succession plan based or rotational values as enshrined

in their “traditional constitution” it is now the turn of Ndantul clan

to provide the next king.

But recent events are grossly disturbing as according to Stephen

Hasso, a retired deputy Commissioner of Police is of the view that

there is a willful and deliberate attempt to truncate the succession

network of his people in Mbula land. He opened that about four

contestants from the Fwa family representing the Duragi clan are

at it again. He also raised fundamental objection as to why an

Election Committee would be set up by the government as

against the traditional “Kingmakers” to elect the new

MurumMbula.

He said “I have never seen or heard anywhere in the history of

chieftaincy where an Election Committee is forwarded by the

government to elect a first class chief. Has Traditional Institution

become INEC? The tradition is all over the place as same is

applicable in Lunguda, shelleng and Bachama chiefdoms where Kingmakers elect the new king.”

Your Excellency, I think we should not lose sight of the bigger picture of the collateral damage this action may likely cause the traditional institution in Mbula land.

Using any parameter of our cultural practices, the imposition of an “Electoral Committee” to elect a king is an aberration and an anathema that is repugnant to equity, natural justice and good conscience.

In view of the foregoing and in the interest of fair play and justice to which Governor Ahmadu Fintiri is noted for, we believe that no responsible and responsive government would fold its arms in the face of glaring injustice and monumental underhand dealings in the process of electing a first class king.

As a passionate and compassionate democrat of conscience who operates by the dictates of the “Books” Governor Fintiri has history by his side for standing against injustice in this endeavor. As an exceptionally great strategic thinker whose love for humanity found its deepest and most profound expression in his commitment to social justice, we appeal to Governor Fintiri to stand his grounds against rapacious and destructive cleavages, spiraling indiscipline and deceptive impurity in Mbula chieftaincy tussle.

It is against this background that we appeal to the Governor that chieftaincy stool is not a “bazaar” where any hawk can hijack the process. Tradition must play a fundamental role as the people of Mbula Federation who have great respect for the Governor are expecting nothing less than a transparent process where the kingmakers would be accorded the traditional respect of choosing the right successor to the departed J.J Fwa.

Ibrahim Modibbo, a strategic communicator and analyst on national issues, is an Abuja-based journalist.