By Our Reporter
*Ohinoyi duely consulted about Buhari’s visit, Kogi govt explains
It is no longer news that Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello recently quarried HRM Ado Ibrahim, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland over alleged insubordination.
However, findings by Daily News revealed that the allegation of insubordination to the office of the Governor as claimed for the query was far from the truth.
Multiple sources familiar with the crisis claim that Governor Bello is only using the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari as a dummy to dethrone the over 95 years old Royal father.
The sources confirmed to our Correspondent that the Governor on assumption of office 7 years ago has been having no love lost relationship with the first class monarch, HRM Ado Ibrahim.
One of the source said , the monarch has been careful on issue relating to the Governor to avoid collision.
“However, when the issue of Senatorial election begin to gather momentum, Gov. Yahaya Bello who thinks he has done alot for the Central Senatorial zone , deserved support from the royal father who is the custodian of the zone to endorse his candidate.
However, HRM Ado Ibrahim, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland seemed to have tacitly lent his support to Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan, candidate of the PDP Senatorial election,” the source said.
More findings indicate that the Monarch’s relationship with the Natasha family dates back to when he was not yet crowned.This assertion is reinforced by the trending pictures of HRM with the mother of Natasha, her senior brother , now a Medical Doctor and the little Natasha.
It was gathered that all attempts by Governor Yahaya Bello to get the support of the Ohinoyi to his Candidate of APC , Abubakar Ohere met brickwalls.
The souces said, “So , Gov. Bello has been looking for an opportunity to punish the royal father and thus the opportunity came when President Muhammadu Buhari visited the state for projects commissioning.”
Another source said aside from the politics of the election, the Kogi State Governor had reconstructed the old palace and asked Ohinoyi to relocate to the place.
But the order did not go down well the traditional leader who cited the burial of his predecessor Late Omolori inside the palace, an albatross to the Ebira kingship tradition.
The source explained that “on assumption of the stool, the Monarch, had pointed out this anomalies to the then Governor of the state, Late Prince Abubakar Audu who approved for him the use of his personal house as his official palace, -until those circumstances are corrected -the approval which has not been vacated.”
A source noted that on the fateful day, the outer entry gate of the Ohinoyi Palace was heavily blocked by the security personnel while the outer gate , the only outlet for him to go out was bombed by the explosion, as he was holed up in the building.
One of the indigenes who spoke on condition of anonymity said said contrary to the expectations of the people, that the Governor will show official sympathy with the royal father, has decided to issue him a query for not receiving the president at the old palace, got to show that Gov Yahaya Bello had sinister motive for the monarch.
Reacting, the Kogi State government shed more lights on the imbroglio between it and the Paramount ruler of Ebiraland, Dr Ado Ibrahim saying that the Monarch was merely asked why he deliberately refused to grace the visit of the president, President Muhammadu Buhari when he visited the state to commision Bello’s legacy projects.
As statement issued on Monday evening by the state Commissioner for Local Governnent and Chieftaincy Affairs , Barrister Salami Momodu Deedat Ozigi stated that since the Royal father has decided to make the matter which otherwise would have been private a public one,the state government therefore has a duty to brief the general public on the issuance of the query.
The Commissioner explained that the Royal father flagrantly refused to receive the President at the newly renovated and befitting official palace chosen instead to remain in his personal house.
The statement read “It has become highly imperative to brief the general public on the issues surrounding the issuance of letter of query to His Royal Majesty, Alh. Dr. Ado Ibrahim CON, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland.
This is because, what ordinarily should have been an official process has been made public by the recipient of the query and as such the public deserve to be abreast with the truth and isolate it from falsehood.”
The Commissioner said that “the reconstructed palace of Ohinoyi of Ebiraland which was commissioned by the President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces has all along been the official palace/residence of successive Ohinoyi of Ebiraland”.
According to him “It is on record that when President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR visited Okene in the year 1984 as a Military Head of State, it was in the same palace that he was received by the then Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, late Alh. Sanni Omolori. The palace has been remodeled and reconstructed to a magnificent edifice that every son and daughter of Ebiraland could be proud of”.
However, he said that “the current Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, His Royal Majesty, Alh. Dr. Ado Ibrahim CON opted, on his own, chose to stay in his personal house and use it as a palace, that does not erase the fact that there is an official palace built over the years for Ohinoyi of Ebiraland.
He explained that when the idea to reconstruct the palace to make it befitting for the revered stool of Ohinoyi of Ebiraland was muted, he (Ohinoyi of Ebiraland) was sufficiently consulted and he gave his consent.
“Upon the completion of the project which has received commendation from far and wide and the date for the commissioning by the President was approved and announced, I personally paid a visit to Ohinoyi of Ebiraland and I duly informed him of the programme of event. Although he responded negatively that he would not attend, I persuaded and entreated him to kindly attend in view of the importance of the project and especially the personality of the President that would commission the project.
It is now known to all sundry that he made good his negative disposition not on any account of ill health or circumstances beyond his control, but a deliberate act of disloyalty and insubordination to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Executive Governor of the State”. He added.
According to him,”It may interest the public to know that the official visit of Mr President to Kogi State to commission projects was not limited to Okene alone, sundry projects were commissioned by the President in Lokoja, the State capital. To this effect, the President, Kogi State Council of Chiefs, His Royal Majesty, Matthew Alaji Opaluwa Oguche Akpa, Attah Igala led other Royal Majesties and all 1st Class Chiefs from both East and West Senatorial Districts and from their far domains to receive the President at the designated venue in Lokoja.
It is therefore left for the public to judge if it was fair and appropriate for His Royal Majesty, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, whose private residence is a few meters away from the venue of the commissioning of the palace and being the principal beneficiary of the project to stay put in his house while all the Graded Chiefs within the Central Senatorial District were present in solidarity with him to honour and receive the President.”
“The Government of His Excellency, Alh. Yahaya Bello is a responsive and responsible Government and will not allow any person or group of persons no matter how highly placed to ridicule, humiliate and cast aspersion on or disdain the genuine intention of this administration to usher unprecedented development in the State. Actions that are tailored towards disloyalty, insubordination and that which tends to affect the peace, security, good image and cohesion of the State will not be treated with levity. This administration will continue to ensure that this State is governed by the rule of law, respect for authority and humanity and the guarantee of equal rights for all citizens.
Let the general public be rest assured that Government will handle this matter with utmost objectivity devoid of any sentiment.” He added.