Udu Monarch dissolves Udu Traditional Council, declares Udu 1979 Edict invalid

By Justice Iyasere,

The Ovie of Udu Kingdom, HRM Barr E .B .O Delekpe has allegedly dissolved the Udu traditional Council, promising to unilaterally set up a new Council made up of hand-picked young chiefs to drive his agenda for Udu Kingdom, proposing the abrogation of the 1979 Edict which brought him to power and tongue-lashing prominent Udu leaders for daring to share contrary opinion to his.

Advocate.ng gathered that the monarch frustrated for his failure to push through his father to son succession plans, on Thursday rubbished the report, Ufuoma Udu mediation Committee on the UUC crisis, and in a rage of anger branded all members of the Committee as stranger elements not worthy of ascending the throne of Udu Kingdom, after him or anytime ever.

The monarch, who was visibly angry with the Committee report, call the 7 ruling houses in Udu as strangers who came to settle in a land which originally belong to Owhorhu, and so, the succession to the throne must be restricted to Owhorhu so the father to son succession arrangement could be adopted.

The Udu Monarch insisted that rotational succession arrangement was obsolete and that any Kingdom still practicing such obnoxious traditional succession plan is either unaware of its history or not prepared to adopt modern trends in traditional leadership.

He dismissed the 1979 Edict that brought him to power as a product of misguided thinking by the founding fathers of Udu and that modern realities have overtaken that document as he was the only one to benefit from that Edict, insisting that succession to the throne must be within his royal family.

Trashing the report of the Committee, the Udu Monarch insisted that he was practicing absolute monarchy and that none of his subjects have the right to question his pronouncements.

The meeting was attended by prominent Udu sons and daughters including Engr Mike Orugbo, Engr Alex Neyin, Chief Mrs Elizabeth Odjugo, Chief Mrs Elizabeth Okene, Chief Luke Ogedegbe, and others whom he is allegedly planning to banished from all palace activities, while a plotting to elevate the young chiefs he conferred Chieftaincy titles recently to UTC members.

A former Udu Council boss, Chief Solomon Kpomah who spoke Advocate.ng expressed disgust with the disposition of the Ovie, stressing that the monarch cannot singlehandedly abolishes 1979 Edict which brought him to power, adding that as it stand today, the Udu Kingdom has only one succession to the throne law.

According to him, “I think the monarch opinion on our 1979 Edict on succession which brought His Majesty to the throne, I want to believe age might be taking a toll on him; as far as the people of Udu Kingdom our 1979 Edict on succession is the only law on succession to the throne.

“If the monarch, or any other persons wants to amend or change 1979 Edict on succession, the person must first of all conduct a referendum, by asking the Udu people what they wants before any amendment to the 1979 Edict on succession can be effected,” he added.

Members of the mediation committee which included the local Government Chairman, Chief Jite Brown had recommended that in the event that the Ovie was not willing to accept that Omiragwa Austin Akpotu Emaduku, is the popular choice of the people, a fresh election should be conducted for all positions of the UUC, including the position of President General where other interest persons would be allowed to contest

The drama at the palace took place before the very eye of representative of the Urhobo Progress Union, Barr Chief Emmanuel Omovie, while Ufuoma Udu was led to the meeting by the incumbent President, Chief Luke Djebah, the Ovwata of Udu Kingdom.