Ebira People Association (EPA) and other stakeholders have began the mobilisation of people to the swearing-in of Ahmed Usman Ododo as the new Governor of Kogi State, scheduled for January 27 in Lokoja, the State capital.
In a communique at the end of its meeting, with other similar organisations in attendance, EPA called on all sons and daughters of the Egbira nation to make deliberate efforts to be present at the swearing-in ceremony of the Governor-Elect.
“We should assert our presence and publicly demonstrate our solidarity with the incoming government.”
The communique, signed by the President General of EPA, Dr. Oyibo Godwin, also called on the sons and daughters of the Egbira nation to consider the appointment of Alhaji Dr Ahmed Tijani Anaje as the new Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, “as an act of God without whom it would not have been possible in the first place.
“Essentially, all sons and daughters of Ebira who had aspired to occupy the revered stool but lost out in the process should accept it as a divine act by the almighty God who will reward their contributions to the land in ways that please Him.”
The stakeholders advised the new King to reach out to all aspirants in the said kingship selection process, as well as prominent individuals and organizations in the land, with a view to bringing them on board for the peace and development projects of Ebiraland.
They further advised the new King to immediately assume the rallying point posture that is necessary for the peace, unity and progress of the Egbira nation.
The stakeholders frowned at the use of voice notes and write-ups on WhatsApp media platforms to insult and cause division among Egbira people and urged all organizations operating the group WhatsApp Platforms to disallow such posts on their platforms forthwith.
Part of the communique goes thus:
In furtherance of its efforts to continually engage all stakeholders of the Egbira nation for peaceful and harmonious coexistence, EPA summoned a critical stakeholders’ meeting primarily to assess some current situations in the land, particularly as it concerns the appointment of the new Ohinoyi of Ebira, and the forthcoming swearing-in ceremony of the new administration of the Governor-Elect Alhaji Usman Ahmed Ododo.
The meeting, which was co-chaired by the President-General, Ebira People’s Association (EPA) Dr. Oyibo Godwin, the Chairman of the Kogi Central Elders Forum (KCEF) Adai Stephen Yakubu and the President-General of Ebira Youth Congress (EYC), Comrade Obiyo Ateiza, was attended by sixty-two participants, representing fifty-one organizations, cutting across communities, civil society groups and faith- based organizations across Ebiraland.
Specifically, among others, the meeting deliberated extensively on the following and noted that:
1. The swearing in ceremony of the Governor-Elect of Kogi State, Alhaji Usman Ahmed Ododo is slated for the 27th day of January, 2024 at the State Capital, Lokoja. it was emphasized that the event is very important for the Ebira nation and that should be accorded the needed participation.
2. The process of the appointment of the new Ohinoyi of Ebiraland had been concluded, culminating in the appointment of His Royal Highness, Alhaji Dr Ahmed Tijani Anaje, the former Ohi of Okengwe as the new Ohinoyi of Ebiraland. He has since been given his letter of appointment and turbaned on the 10th of January, 2024 in his palace at Okengwe.
3. Alongside the appointment of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, two prominent traditional rulers in Kogi Central Senatorial District; the Obobanyi of Ihima, His Royal Highness, Chief Samuel Adayi Onimisi and the Olu of Magongo, His Royal Highness, Chief Sam Bola Ojoa were deposed and banished to Niger State. The title of the Obobanyi of Ihima was redesigned to read “Obobanyi of Emani.”
4. While the meeting requested the leadership of EPA to carefully understudy and act appropriately after its findings on the issues, it passionately appealed to His Excellency, Alh Yahaya Bello, the Executive Governor of Kogi State, to take a second look at the matter of the aforementioned royal fathers with a view to reconsidering its verdicts where it maybe appropriate.
5. An ugly development that centred on the use of voice notes on WhatsApp to insult, distort history and ostensibly to cause division among Egbira people, particularly since the conclusion of kingship selection exercise and the appointment of a substantive Ohinoyi must be stopped by all involved.
