As the Chieftaincy tussle in Eleme, Rivers lingers, Chief Paul Obelley, the Oneh-Eh Aluoken and Oneh-Eh-Eta Mao, Alesa Clan, has appealed to Gov. Nysom Wike to urgently cancel an alleged erroneous chieftaincy installation performed by a desperate group in Eleme kingdom.
Obelley made the appeal in an open letter to the governor, dated July 20, 2019, and entitled: “Purported and Illegal Installation of Emere Philip Obele as Oneh-Eh-Eleme XI’’, which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Port Harcourt.
The letter urged the governor to set up an investigative panel into the purported illegal/anti-people form of leadership imposition in the kingdom as well as bringing perpetrators of the dastardly act to book.
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The letter, one of the numerous calls on the government to resolve the matter, urged the government to help expunge politics from the traditional institutions of the Eleme kingdom.
According to Obelley, the alleged mandate given to Emere Philip Obele (Oneh-Eh-Nchia) as the new Oneh-Eh-Eleme XI does not depict a collective view of the people and therefore, should not be upheld as such illegality could breed discord in the peaceful kingdom.
It will be recalled that Gov. Nysom Wike upon the demise of the last king of Eleme kingdom (King Ejii Olaka), did name Emere Philip Obele as a Regent for the kingdom, an action opposed by some stakeholders who said Regency was alien to the Eleme kingdom.
The same Regent, is now an alleged threat to due process as some eligible contestants for the number one traditional stool of the Oneh-Eh-Eleme XI lamented being sidelined in the selection process that rather favoured him (Regent) on July 10, 2019.
It said in part that “I am constrained to bring this illegal and dangerous act to your attention and I seek your urgent intervention because this error is capable of creating crisis in the land if not urgently corrected.
“I am making this appeal not only because I’m an interested party in the contest for the Oneh-Eh-Eleme stool but because I’m also law abiding and an eminent traditional leader in Eleme, therefore, I cannot sit back and watch some of my kinsmen desecrate our sacred tradition.’’
The letter explained that an alleged unethical process led to the nomination of Emere Philip Obele as Oneh-Eh-Eleme XI.
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It assured him of the decision of a greater number of patriotic people of Eleme to reject the choice of Obele as they continue their search for a credible successor bearing in mind due process and tradition of the people.
The letter also alleged that there were 14 reasons why Philip Obele was adjudged unfit for the most revered stool in the kingdom and outlined same for clarification.
The accusations are in part: “It will interest you to note, Your Excellency, that Emere Obele has very serious unresolved issues pertaining to the management of funds accruing to Aleto clan where he is a serving Paramount ruler.
“And this has led to him fleeing his residence in Aleto, making him a non-resident traditional ruler, an action which has raised concern as to whether he could effectively perform in higher capacity if given an opportunity.’’
However, chief Emere Obele could not be reached to react to the letter. (NAN)
