Successor Battle Begins For Olu Of Warri Throne As ex-Delta Commissioner Reacts

• Kingship Tussle: Itsekiri must get it right this time around – Omolubi 

Succession battle for the next Olu of Warri has began in emnest despite the palace delay to formally announce the demise of the reverred monarch, His Royal Majesty Ogiame Ikenwoli, BIGPENNGR can report.

Recalls that in December 2020, speculation were rife that the paramount monarch passed on at the Lily Hospital, Warri.

But his reported death was refuted by the Director of Palace Administration, Chief Clement A. Maleghemi, in a statement, insisting that the royal majesty is ‘indisposed’ and currently being attended to by a team of qualified medical specialist.

BIGPENNGR reports however that, barely three months after despite the fact that the palace was yet to announce the reported death, succession battle has continue to gather tension among stakeholders in the Kingdom.

Reacting to the development, a former Commissioner In the state State and a first class Chief, Omolubi Newuwumi,  said that Itsekiri nation must endeavour to do everything right for the sake of posterity.

Commenting on the happenings in Warri Kingdom, Chief Omolubi stated categorically that he will not be a party to any wrong process to installing a new monarch in Warri Kingdom.

He said, “Let me quickly note and state categorically that the Edict has been adopted as a working document by the ruling house, that’s why the selection of who becomes the king elect ( Omo-oba) is limited to Erejuwa 11 which comprises the immediate families of the last three kings ( Erejuwa 11, Atuwase 11 and Ikenwoli ), so no one should deny use of the edit in anyway as the case may be.

Omolubi, who is also a born Prince and the convener of the meetings of elites of Prince and Princes ( concerned Ginuwa 1 ruling house) insisted that the Emikos must be in unison present suitable candidates to the throne of the Ginuwa 1 ruling house after due consultations (Ife-eyin). 

“Thereafter Ginuwa 1 ruling house will after further consultations (Ife-eyin) with a committee of at least one person drawn from each stock of the Ginuwa 1 ruling house communicate with the Ologbostere at the meeting in the palace to present a suitable aspirant of the throne to the “Ojoyesan” headed by the Ologbostere-the highest king making organ of the kingdom. 

“This is yet to be done by the ruling house since after the submission from the Emiko’s family on the 18th Feb 2021 and no meeting has been scheduled by the ruling house to hold at the appropriate venue (PALACE).

“The council of Ojoyesan led by the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom would go further deep into consultation for final confirmation of the aspirant in conjunction with the Ginuwa 1 ruling house headed by the Olori-ebi as stated in the Edict that Prince and Princess of 18yrs and above is allowed to be part of this process of the acceptable candidate for the pristine position as the “omoba”, that is, the Olu –elect of Warri Kingdom by the Ife (Oracle).”

According to him, “the enabling edit states that the selection process must start with male children of the demised monarch. If they are not found fit enough for the exalted position, the search/selection process then shift to the late king’s siblings and up to the male children of the last three monarch in line of succession.”

Chief Omolubi, a former Commissioner in the Ministry of Youths and Development in Delta State maintained that since the edit states that succession to the throne is from father to son, it compulsorily follows that the search/selection process must commence with the children of the late Majesty Ogiame Ikenwoli before other aspirants noting that “anything short of this transparent process is an aberration and I should be counted out of it”.

“It is this barefaced disregard and manipulations of the customary/traditional processes by men of influence, power and money that has been the bane of the Itsekiri people after the passage of HM Ogiame Erejuwa 11 up to the late Atuwatse 11, the installation and passage of Ikenwoli because  “majority will always have their way while the minority will have their say”, he stressed.

Chief Omolubi pointed out that the edit needs to be amended by the Olori-ebi who become the Regent after the final selection of the Omo-oba( King Elect) to correct the inherent abnomalies therein that is tearing Warri Kingdom apart, “otherwise the Itsekiri nation would continue to wallow in one misfortune to the other, he cautioned.