WE DON’T NEED ONISHE TO CROWN OUR KING, DELTA COMMUNITY TELLS KINGMAKER

The people of Ubulu-Uku Kingdom, Aniocha South Local Government Area, Delta State, have said that they don’t need an Onishe to crown their king. It will be recalled that Mr Emmanuel Ejiofor had told newsmen that the new king of Ubulu-Uku, HRM Obi Chukwuka Akaeze I, was not crowned by him and therefore, not recognised. The 17 years old monarch was crowned after the demise of his father, HRM Obi Edward Ofulue III, who was kidnapped and murdered by suspected Fulani herdsmen in January.

Reacting to media statements by Ejiofor, the people reiterated that in the history of Ubulu-Uku Kingdom, no Obi has been crowned by an Onishe. Women who gathered at the palace described Mr Emmanuel Ejiofor as a mischief maker.

Addressing newsmen, National President of Ubulu-Uku Development Union, Mr Jones Ofunne, urged the police authorities and other security agencies to conclude their “investigation, expose and punish those involved in the kidnapping and killing of our king.”

On Ejiofor’s claim that he didn’t crown the youthful king, making his ascension to the throne illegal, Ofunne said, “Ejiofor’s inordinate ambition to crown a king cannot materialize in his (Ejiofor) lifetime. “He has not watched any king being crowned in Ubulu-Uku and has never participated in the coronation of any king before HRM Obi Edward Ofulue III.”

Disclosing that Ejiofor was derobed as the Onishe of the kingdom on July 2, 2011 because of his rebellious attitude, Ofunne, who was flanked by the Regent, Prince Anthony Ofulue, the Palace Secretary, Chief Joseph Obaze and other chiefs, said Ejiofor’s removal as a chief was endorsed by the Obi-in-council and the entire community. Noting that it was the royal family and inner house chiefs that perform the traditional rite by putting the heir apparent on the stool in secrecy, he said: “He becomes the Obi from that moment. He does not require anyone to crown him thereafter.” Reiterating that the crowning of the 17 years old, HRM Chukwuka Akaeze I, followed all the pattern of his grandfather and father’s enthronement, he said, “Ejiofor’s recognition as an individual is inconsequential and of no effect.”