Delta ex-gov, Uduaghan brokers peace among five Itsekiri kingmakers —

For the first time after the passage of the Olu of Warri Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli, engendering the Itsekiri kingship tussle, a former Governor of Delta State, Chief Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan, after a series of meetings with the warring factions, brokered a ceasefire.

On Sunday, June 13, 2021, he finally succeeded in bringing together the five kingmakers known as the ‘Ojoye Ojo-Itsan,’ principal members of the Olu Advisory Council, who have been divided into two camps.

They are the Chief Ayiri Emami or Ologbotsere camp and the Chief Johnson Amastserunereleghe or Iyatsere faction.

The two camps were or are made up of the following kingmakers: One camp has Chief Emami, the Ologbotsere of Warri; Chief Yayah Pessu, the Ojomo and Chief (Barrister) Isaac Jemide, the Oshodi. In the other camp are Chief Amastserunereleghe, the Iyatsere and Chief Gabriel Awala, the Uwangue.

Honourable Michael Diden aka Ejele was said to have arrived at the meeting in Uduaghan’s house late. He was said to have asked what the agenda of the meeting was.

Uduaghan was said to have told the house that Emami (the Ologbotsere) has met with Olu-designate Omoba Tsola Emiko, a meeting that Palace Watch earlier reported exclusively.

Uduaghan told the meeting that Tsola Emiko gave the Ologbotsere three major assignments as follows: (1) Emami should do a letter of apology to the Ginuwa Ruling House. (2) Help to find the missing Itsekiri crown and (3) Help with the whereabouts of the two sons of the immediate past (the late) Olu of Warri, Princes Oyowoli and Omasholi.

At this point, Ejele who was visibly angry, was said to have made the following remarks: “Since Chief Emami has decided to meet with the Omoba without carrying other people in his group along, he should go ahead and comply with the instructions of the Olu of Warri-designate.”

Diden, however, insisted that for any peace to be made, the two kingmakers, Chief Pessu (Ojomo of Warri) and Chief Jemide (Oshodi) who were maliciously excluded from the king-making process by the Iyatsere and Uwuangue group should be immediately reinstated.

This decision was upheld by the meeting.

Pessu and Jemide (Oshodi of Warri) had in previous meetings expressed their hurts and displeasure over “deliberate efforts” by Amastserunereleghe and Awala to exclude them from the process of enthroning a new Olu because of their insistence that the right thing be done in the general interest of the Itsekiri people.

The meeting of Sunday, June 13, 2021, held in the Warri residence of Uduaghan, also had some prominent indigenes of kingdom as well as most of the Warri Council of Chiefs members in attendance.

After heated debates and outpouring of grievances, it was a decided that it was wrong for the Iyatsere group to displace the kingmakers, who are still very much alive in the kingdom.

Thus, the Ojomo and Oshodi, whom the meeting agreed were unjustly excluded from the current process of enthroning Tsola Emiko, were asked by the Iyatsere group to immediately allow them to perform their roles as chiefs and kingmakers.

The Ologbotsere, Iyatsere and Uwangue, the principal actors in the crisis, were asked to convene a parley where the three of them will resolve their differences and report back to the larger meeting by Sunday, June 20, 2021, at the residence of Uduaghan in Warri.

A Palace Watch source at the meeting said that from the body language of some of the Princes of the Ginuwa Ruling House, who were present, they were not ready for the problem to be resolved, as they were resolute in insisting that the Ologbotsere, whom they say they have suspended, should never be allowed to play his traditional role of crowning the next Olu as demanded by the law.

Our source also maintained that the intensity of the hatred or rivalry between Emami and Amastserunereleghe was manifested in the meeting. Their behaviours showed in their demeanor on that very day.

The source continued: “Honourable Michael Diden, aka Ejele, once brokered similar peace between the two warring Chiefs in his residence in the past.
Immediately the two Chiefs left Ejele’s residence, they continued with their belligerent nature, and as such nothing meaningful came out of that peace initiative by Ejele.

They have once again agreed to meet and resolve whatever differences they claimed to be having, and get back to the larger house, I’m certain nothing good will ever come out of the meeting between the three Chiefs.”

Palace Watch then asked what could possibly be the problem between the three chiefs, especially Emami and Amastserunereleghe that made their differences irreconciliable?

Our source explained: “Without being deliberately maligning any of the Chiefs, as far as we all know, there is nothing significant that anyone can put his finger on, other than rivalry and petty ego of who is superior as a Chief in Warri Palace or Kingdom.”

Our source further stressed that the little education of both Chiefs is another major factor in the crisis, as they do not know where to draw the line between their personal interest and the overall interest of the Itsekiri people or nation.

He spoke further: “Under normal circumstances, if the truth must be told, both men are not fit in character to be made Chiefs in any decent set-up like the Olu of Warri Palace.

And if my advice is to be taken, I would have urged the incoming Olu to do away with both from the Warri Council of Chiefs immediately after he is enthroned.

“Awala could be aptly described as a ‘recluse’ as he is a man who is known for very few words. Without any malice and with all due respect, Chief Awala is colourless in nature, nobody gets to know his mind or where he stands on any issue. Here lies the present problems of the Itsekiri people.

“Sadly, all the people presently killing themselves to make Omoba Tsola Emiko, the Olu of Warri, are already having issues with him, as he hardly listens to them or take their counsels on any matter.

He does all that he wants without being challenged. The Omoba behavior is not surprising to anyone who has taken his time to study him over the years.

In the true sense of the word, Omoba Tsola Emiko can’t be regarded as a true Warri boy. His mother, an Ilesha woman (while his father, Atunwase II, was still alive), did all within her powers to exclude him from the Warri setup.

All his formative years were spent in Yoruba land and to make matters worse, during his holidays, Omoba Tsola was never allowed to come to Warri as he ended up spending most of his holidays in Lagos. Omoba Tsola has no friend in Warri and if he had any, it will be shocking.

“With all the bottled up anger across Itsekiri land, over the way and manner this kingship matter is being handled, it will not be surprising to see so many people with vested interests in this matter, filling multiple court cases. I must confess, I foresee so many troubles ahead.

“The grounds for these actions are numerous. For example, the law for the enthronement of the king that after demise of an Olu, the Ologbotsere will assemble the ‘Oloye Ojo-Itsan,’ the five kingmakers in Itsekiri land. This, we all know, never happened. Secondly, the Ologbotsere never presented Tsola to the Itsekiri people.

Thirdly, the Itsekiri don’t have any name like Omoba that they are now calling Tsola Emiko. The Itsekiri monarchy is not from the Yoruba. What we have in this part of Nigeria, is Otun-Olu meaning the son of Olu.

Fourthly, it was the father of Tsola, Ogiame Atunwase II, that brought the name, Olori to the Itsekiri lexicon just because his wife, Gladys was a Yoruba woman.

As a matter of fact, no Itsekiri ever gets to see the wife or wives of Olu of Warri, until Ogiame Atunwase II ascended the throne of Warri Kingdom. These are all part of the numerous reasons why some people would want to go to court.”

Our source concluded: “Despite the nauseating behavior put up by the Iyatsere and his group, who are presently behaving and adopting the attitude of an all-conquering ‘king’ in a battle in this particular matter,

the principal reasons why Chief Uduaghan alongside some prominent indigenes of Itsekiri land are working very hard to include Chief Ayiri Emami, the Ologbotsere and the other two kingmakers hitherto excluded in the process, is to ameliorate the huge damage already done, in the course of throwing up Tsola Emiko as the Olu of Warri-designate.

This might be the only way to save the crown from being decided by the courts if the interested parties, who are currently keeping quiet, decide to seek judicial redress, an option, which cannot be ruled out, the way things are now.”
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