Connect with us

News

Warri succession crisis: I’m next to Olu, Ologbotsere Emami insists

Published

on

 

There seems to be end in sight to the crisis rocking Warri Kingdom, with the Ologbotsere, Chief Ayirimi Emami, declaring that he is next in command to the Olu of Warri.

He has approached a Warri High Court to resolve the matter.

The Ologbotsere explained that he was seeking the interpretation of the controversial 1979 edict in court, as well as ensure his rightful place in the traditional administration of the kingdom.

It will be recalled that the process of installing a new Olu for Warri Kingdom following the passage of the 20th Olu, Ogiame Ikenwoli, has been shrouded in controversy, beginning with a purported suspension of the Ologbotsere as chairman, Olu Advisory Council and Traditional Council of Chiefs by the Ginuwa I Ruling House.

The said council, under the leadership of the Iyatsere, Chief Johnson Amatserunleghe, in April unveiled Prince Utieyinoritsetsola Emiko, son to Ogiame Atuwaste II and 19th Olu of Warri, as Omoba, Olu-designate.

Addressing newsmen during a ceremony to brief the people of Itsekiri on his position in the said crisis in Ubeji, Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State yesterday, Emami noted that he had kept mute on the matter from the outset.

See also  BREAKING: Super Eagles arrive Nigeria after Libya ordeal

He explained that his decision to go to court was aimed at ensuring that the Iwere customs and traditions were preserved, emphasising that issues surrounding the Olu stool is a unifying factor for the Itsekiri.

“We know that there has been a lot of turbulence in Itsekiri land. So today, I decided that all sons and daughters of Itsekiriland should come for adequate prayers for our people.

“I equally use this medium to alert them that I have taken some steps for the wrongdoing and undoing of the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom. It is very straight, after the Olu, it is the Ologbotsere. But I have not been talking.

“I have moved to court for the court to interpret the edict. My position is to uphold whatever law Itsekiri has. You cannot stand in my presence and want to destroy the custom and tradition of Itsekiri.

“I don’t want to go into fighting. I don’t want to take the law into my hands. Itsekiris are known for peace. The only thing I can do is follow law and order. I have to do the needful. I am not the creator of the edict, neither was my father.

See also  Kano govt rejects Durbar ban, tackles Ado Bayero, police

“A lot of people are ignorant. Our kingdom has been in existence before 1979, and if they say it (edict) came into being in 1979, it was only amended in 1979. So when they get to court, we would know whether it came into being or it is a piece of paper, the way some of them claim.”

The Ologbotsere, however, called for calm across Iwereland, stressing: “We will do the needful. And within a short time, we will announce what I am going to do by the power vested on me by the edict.”

Earlier while addressing hundreds of Itsekiri people present at the ceremony, he stated that he did nothing “bad” like is reported in the streets.

Expressing gratitude to the people, he disclosed that despite protests against his Ologbotsere candidature in 2017, the late Ogiame Ikenwoli saw his commitment to the kingdom and gave him the title.

He added, “Whatever Itsekiri decide is where I stand. People should not go and lie against the Ologbotsere.

Nobody will take Itsekiri backward. We will follow the way it is done.

“If there is no Olu, I am next. I am the next to speak. Some persons want to rewrite history. I want to go to court to ask if Iyatsere can be next. I also want to ask if the princes can sack a chief.”

See also  Two internet fraudsters jailed, forfeit Lexus car, laptops, others

Warri chiefs who were present at the occasion include Chief Michael Odeli and Chief Arthur Diden.

A writ of summons with suit number W/128/2021 and dated July 8, 2021, has Chief Emami as claimant, while Chief Akoma Dudu Dimeyin (Olori-Ebi of Ginuwas Ruling House), Prince Emmanuel Okotie-Eboh (Olori-Ebi of Ginuwa l Ruling House) and Chief Johnson Amatserunleghe (Iyatsere of Warri) as defendants.

The Ologbotsere is seeking “an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants either by themselves agents, privies and/or whomsoever from crowning any person as the Olu of Warri kingdom pending the hearing and determination of this suit.

“An order retraining the defendants either by themselves, agents, privies and by whomsoever from using anybody, particularly the 3rd defendant (Iyatsere) or the Uwangue or any other traditional Chief of Warri Kingdom to crown any person as the Olu of Warri Kingdom against the provision of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Edict of 1979, pending the hearing and determination of this suit”.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Two Oyo commissioner, special adviser resign

Published

on

By

Two senior officials in the Oyo State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning have resigned their appointments from Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration.

The officials are Ayobami Ojo, the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, and Simeon Oyeleke, the ministry’s Special Adviser on Budget and Economic Planning.

In separate letters dated November 2, and addressed to Mr Makinde, both officials said their resignations would take effect immediately, while thanking the governor for the opportunity to serve but did not give specific reasons for their decisions.

In his letter, Ojo referred to his appointment letter dated 22 June 2026 and formally announced his resignation as commissioner.

“With reference to your letter dated 22nd June, 2026 (SP.S.662/2/VOL.IV/192), I respectfully write to formally resign my appointment as Honourable Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, with effect from today, 2nd November, 2026,” he wrote.

He described his time in government as an honour and said he appreciated the opportunity to serve the state.

See also  Kano govt rejects Durbar ban, tackles Ado Bayero, police

Oyeleke also tendered his resignation with effect from 2 November.

In his letter, he thanked Mr Makinde for the confidence reposed in him and the opportunity to contribute to the administration’s policies and development programmes.

He also expressed appreciation for the governor’s leadership, support and encouragement during his time in office.

“I remain grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this administration and to have contributed to its laudable achievements. I also remain committed to the peace, progress and development of Oyo State,” he wrote.

The latest resignations come amid a series of exits of political appointees and other officials from the Makinde administration in recent months.

It would be recalled that Segun Ogunwuyi resigned as the governor’s chief of staff on 12 October, a position he had held since July 2021. His resignation took immediate effect, although he did not state a reason for his departure.

A few hours after Ogunwuyi’s departure, Makinde appointed Bashorun Akinwole, popularly known as Wolekanle, as his replacement.

See also  Politicians are sponsors of banditry- Uzodinma

On the same day, Tara Adefope, the Director-General of the Oyo State Due Process Office, also resigned from her position, while in late October, Kabiru Salami, the governor’s Executive Assistant on Security Coordination, also tendered his resignation.

Other officials who have left the administration include Funmi Arulogun, a Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters, who resigned in August, citing personal and political considerations.

Babatunde Oduyoye, a member of the Oyo State Advisory Council, also resigned in July, while Fatai Owoseni, a former Commissioner of Police who served as the governor’s Special Adviser on Security resigned in May.

Continue Reading

News

Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: Campaigns: OK Movement insists on independence

Published

on

By

1. The OK (Obi/Kwankwaso) Movement has declared that it will maintain its independent identity while mobilising support for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and its candidates ahead of the 2027 general election. 

Movement’s leader John Ughulu said the group remained committed to its original mission of securing the election of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and erstwhile Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Speaking in an interview, Ughulu dismissed suggestions that the movement’s decision to campaign independently would undermine its support for the NDC, insisting that the focus should be on achieving a common  political objective.

2. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid got a big boost at the weekend with endorsements from across the country. His achievement, the need for consolidation, national cohesion, and other reasons were adduced for the show of solidarity. The presidential election is billed for January 16, 2027

3. The Federal Government has vowed to crack down on inflated public contracts and procurement violations, warning heads of government-owned agencies, corporations, councils, authorities and commissions that they risk sanctions for breaching procurement regulations. The government raised the alarm over contract awards that exceed approved price benchmarks.

See also  Good Morning! Here Are Some Major News Headlines In The Newspapers Today: Labour asks Governors who can't pay new minimum wage to resign

4. The African Democratic Congress has rescheduled its presidential campaign kick-off in Sokoto State to Wednesday, November 4, despite alleging threats, attacks on its members and attempts by the state government to frustrate the event. The party said its decision to proceed with the campaign was a demonstration of its determination to exercise its constitutional rights despite what it described as growing political intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

5. Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have neutralised four leaders of the Islamic State West Africa Province, including two Arabs, a commander and several of their foot soldiers in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. The Army said they were neutralised on October 31, 2026, by combined troops of the Joint Task Force deployed to Kukawa following a massive ISWAP terrorists attack on their locations.

6. United States President, Donald Trump, has agreed to grant an immediate visa to the mother of a 15-year-old Ghanaian boy shot dead in New York, following a request by the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani announced the development on Saturday after speaking with Trump, saying the visa would allow the teenager’s mother to travel to the United States and attend her son’s funeral.

See also  Kano govt rejects Durbar ban, tackles Ado Bayero, police

7. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested two Nigerians based in Europe after they allegedly ingested 200 wraps of cocaine weighing 3.46kg while attempting to travel from Abuja to Paris, France. The suspects, identified as Aliocus Odife and Sam Blackborn, were arrested on Wednesday during the outward clearance of an Air France flight, AF 832, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

8. Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 100-level female student of Plateau State University, Bokkos, while another person sustained injuries during an attack on off-campus student residential areas in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State. It was learnt that the incidents, which occurred on Saturday evening at about 8:40pm, had heightened concerns over the safety of students residing outside the university campus.

9. An early-morning fire outbreak at the weekend destroyed no fewer than 110 buildings and structures at Kofar Ruwa Timber Market in the Kano metropolis. The Kano State Fire Service, while confirming the incident in a statement on Sunday, said the inferno razed 75 permanent buildings and 35 temporary structures across different sections of the market.

See also  You can’t bank on Atiku... he doesn’t honour his words — Wike

10. The immediate past National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has declared his readiness to align with President Bola Tinubu or former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 presidential election, while ruling out support for the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi.

Continue Reading

News

Relief as suspected Ebola cases in Adamawa tested negative

Published

on

By

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has said that there are currently no laboratory-confirmed cases of Ebola  in Adamawa.

The NCDC had on Saturday said that there were two suspected cases of Ebola in the north-east state, adding that the individuals had been isolated while contact identification was ongoing.

But in a statement on Sunday, the director-general of NCDC, Jide Idris,
said samples collected from the two individuals, who had symptoms suggestive of Ebola, tested negative after two rounds of testing.

“The report was received by the Adamawa State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) in the early hours of 30 October 2026, following the identification of two individuals presenting with symptoms suggestive of Ebola, requiring further investigation,” the statement reads.

“Hence the alert that was released early this evening. The individuals have been isolated, and appropriate public health measures have been initiated.

“Samples were collected for laboratory testing to establish the cause of the illness. Fortunately, the samples turned out negative for EBV after two rounds of testing.”

See also  New Alaafin will inherit Oba Adeyemi’s wives –Archbishop Ladigbolu

Idris commended the Adamawa health commissioner and his team for their “proactive approach”, adding that the NCDC was working closely with the state government to investigate the report of suspected Ebola cases.

“Currently, there is no laboratory-confirmed Ebola case in Adamawa state,” he said.

“The index case previously confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory remains the only confirmed case reported in Nigeria to date.”

He urged the public to remain calm and avoid sharing unverified information or speculating about the situation.

“The public is encouraged to obtain information from official government and public health communication channels,” he said.

Idris described Ebola as a serious infectious disease that requires prompt identification, appropriate clinical management and effective infection prevention and control measures.

“Anyone experiencing symptoms such as fever, severe weakness, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding, particularly following relevant exposure, should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare workers of any relevant travel or contact history,” he said.

See also  Nigerian asylum seeker gang-raped by five Nigerian men in Cyprus allegedly

“Individuals should avoid self-medication and follow the advice of healthcare professionals.”

Nigeriaconfirmed its first Ebola case in more than a decade on October 20, after a 42-year-old Swiss woman tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain in Abuja.

The patient, who had travelled from Uganda to Nigeria, was subsequently isolated and treated by Nigerian health workers.

On Monday, the federal governmentevacuated the patient to Switzerland aboard a medical plane.

Her husband, who was identified as a close contact, was also evacuated to Switzerland.

Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the patient was clinically much improved, stable, conscious and communicating, with her laboratory test results approaching baseline levels.

Continue Reading

Trending News