A Benin group, Ogbakha-Edo, is rejecting a provision in a new bill before the National Assembly.
The bill aims to establish a Nigerian Council of Traditional Rulers, but the group opposes its suggestion that the Ooni of Ife and the Sultan of Sokoto be permanent co-chairmen.
Instead, Ogbakha-Edo is demanding that the chairmanship be rotational among all first-class traditional rulers.
In a statement signed by its chairman and secretary, Prof. Sam Guobadia and Dr. Andrew Osaretin Izekor, on Saturday, Guobadia said such a plan was to “undermine or diminish” the authority of the Oba of Benin and the history of the kingdom, which existed centuries before the advent of colonialists and when several other kingdoms were either non-existent were in obscurity.
He said, “We find it highly inappropriate to perpetually subjugate the Oba of Benin by way of an illogical constitutional enactment.
“This ill-conceived and historically unjustifiable proposal is not only logically flawed but also provocative, divisive, and culturally offensive. It represents a blatant attempt to institutionalise supremacy where none exists, and to exploit past protocols of convenience-wherein certain decisions are made and certain actions taken for the sake of political expediency.
“The Benin people, anchored in centuries of cultural pride and historical sovereignty, vehemently reject any move that seeks to subordinate the imperial and highly revered throne of the Oba of Benin to any other traditional or religious authority under the guise of national unity or representational balance.”
In the statement, the group added, “While the Oba of Benin is currently categorised among the highest-ranking traditional rulers in Nigeria, it is absolutely unacceptable-indeed, an affront to justice and history-to diminish his stature through such unwarranted and biased constitutional manipulation.
“The Oba of Benin was not merely a king, but an emperor with vast dominions, extending across present-day Edo, Delta, parts of Ondo, Lagos,and into present-day Benin Republic. Northwards, the influence of the Oba reached beyond Esanland and Afemai territories to the foothills of the Kukuruku Mountains.
“At that time, many of the kingdoms now elevated in public discourse were either non-existent or mere village clusters, without the sophistication or authority that the Benin monarchy wielded.”
The group said the bill was as “It is very obvious that in arriving at the conclusion that only the Ooni of Ife and the Sultan of Sokoto should be permanent co-chairmen, ostensibly to represent the geopolitical north and south regions, historical, territorial, and cultural pedigree in determining leadership within the Council of Traditional Rulers, were not taken into account.”
The group demanded “Immediate withdrawal of the proposed bill in its entirety or make the position non-permanent and rotational amongst the first class traditional rulers.”
