The Delta State Government has declared null and void the purported suspension of the Onishe of Ubulu-Uku Kingdom, Chief James Asika Onwordi, by the Obi of Ubulu-Uku, His Royal Majesty Obi Chukwuka Noah Akaeze, Agbogidi.
The government also nullified the recently conducted online election of the Ubulu-Uku Development Council (UDC), directing that a fresh and inclusive election be organised under the supervision of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development.
The decisions were announced at a peace and conflict-resolution meeting convened by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Peace Building and Conflict Resolution, Sir (Chief) Edwin Uzor, with members of the Ubulu-Uku Council of Chiefs, also known as the Obi-in-Council, and security agencies.
The meeting followed petitions and counter-petitions arising from the prolonged leadership crisis in Ubulu-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area.
According to the government, the purported suspension of Chief Onwordi did not comply with the statutory procedure governing the suspension of traditional chiefs in the state.
The government cited Section 28, Sub-sections 1 to 6 of the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council and Chiefs Law, as well as the position of the Office of the Director of Chieftaincy in the Governor’s Office, to support its decision.
The government declared that the purported suspension of Chief Onwordi was null and void because due process had not been followed.
It also directed the Obi of Ubulu-Uku to return to the kingdom from abroad, stressing that the monarch should be physically present to administer the affairs of the kingdom.
The government further cautioned uncles and other relatives of the monarch against interfering in the administration of the kingdom, advising them to channel any counsel or advice to the Obi through the appropriate traditional structures.
On the controversial UDC online election, the government said the exercise was conducted in violation of the Delta State Regulation of Community Development Associations Law 2021 and relevant guidelines of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development.
The government questioned the validity of an internally conducted online election carried out without the involvement of the ministry responsible for regulating community development associations in the state.
It consequently declared the online election null and void.
The government directed the Traditional Council, in collaboration with the community, to organise a fresh, transparent and all-inclusive election.
The new election, it said, must be supervised and observed by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development.
The government emphasised that the community could not independently conduct the election without first engaging the ministry and complying with the relevant regulations and guidelines.
The government’s intervention effectively addresses two major issues that had contributed to the prolonged tension in Ubulu-Uku—the status of the Onishe and the leadership of the Ubulu-Uku Development Council.
Reacting to the government’s decisions, Chief James Asika Onwordi, members of the Ubulu-Uku Council of Chiefs and representatives of the youth body expressed appreciation for the intervention.
They said the community had lived with the issues for a considerable period and welcomed the government’s efforts to resolve them.
The Onishe and his supporters thanked God and the Delta State Government, saying the intervention had provided an opportunity for peace to return to the kingdom.
They pledged to support continued peace-building efforts in Ubulu-Uku and assured that the people would remain law-abiding and committed to peaceful coexistence.
