Heightened tension has gripped the historic Ewu-Urhobo kingdom in the Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State. The women of the kingdom have initiated a peaceful protest denouncing what they describe as the ‘forceful imposition and planned installation’ of Clement Ikolo as their king.
The protesters assert that Ikolo is not a native of the Ewu-Urhobo kingdom and have conveyed their strong objections to the state governor, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.
On Monday, a significant number of upset women carried placards bearing various messages, including appeals such as ‘Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, take the right course of action;’ ‘Ikolo is not from Ewu;’ ‘Ewu is a Peaceful kingdom, we don’t need crisis;’ among others.
They also urged the Orodje of Okpe kingdom to promptly intervene and leverage his authority to counsel the governor, whom they identified as a subject of the Orodje, to take the appropriate action and prevent the unjust imposition of a non-indigene as the king.
Pledging to resist vehemently, even at the cost of their lives, the imposition and planned installation of Clement Ikolo, whose official recognition by the Delta State government is slated for next Thursday, the demonstrators also issued a warning to counteract any forces and authorities employed by Ikolo and the Delta State government in this matter.
A statement circulated by the protesters partly reads, “We will resist the installation of Clement Ikolo as our king, because he is not the chosen person and he is not the right person to occupy the throne.
“The Delta State government is being misled through the influence and connection of Clement Ikolo, who believes he can buy the throne with his money.”
“We have a crown King in the kingdom of Ewu and he is His Royal Majesty Awarieta Bernard, but not Clement Ikolo.”
The spokesperson for the women participating in the protest, Chief Mrs. Christiana Ofuedje, who holds the title of Okobaro in the Ewu-Urhobo kingdom, informed journalists that following the passing of the former king five years ago, the kingdom had duly installed Awarieta as the king through a proper procedure. However, they were taken aback upon hearing the announcement of Clement Ikolo’s name for the presentation of the staff of office as the king “when he is not the one chosen by the people.”
She disclosed that the community had earlier protested against Ikolo in February this year by barricading the roads, “during which Ikolo mobilized security agents to beat and brutalize us, and in the process, one of our illustrious sons in the kingdom was shot dead.”
She further mentioned that amidst their mourning for the deceased, who has not yet been laid to rest, they received information about the Delta State government’s intention to present the staff of the office to Ikolo.
She asked rhetorically, “Is he trying to cause crisis and war in the kingdom?”
She said, ”Oborevwori should not present staff of office to Ikolo as our king, because he, Clement Ikolo, is not an indigene of Ewu kingdom, but an indigene of Olomu kingdom.
“He shouldn’t be forced on us, we have the right to choose our king according to age-long tradition.
“We have come to see His Royal Majesty, the Orodje of Okpe, who is the Chairman of the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council, to prevail upon, and advise the governor to shun the presentation of staff office to Clement Ikolo as scheduled, to avoid the breakdown of law and orders.”
In response, Okakuro Michael Afe, the Unukpe of Okpe Kingdom, informed the demonstrators that the Orodje, whom they had intended to meet, was currently unavailable. However, he appealed to them to stay composed, assuring them that their message would be communicated to the monarch promptly upon his return to the kingdom.