By Our Correspondent

Obomkpa community in Aniocha North council area says the State Government did not take into consideration the historical facts on ground before going ahead to give recognition for an Obi in Ugboba which is a quarter in Obomkpa.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.

Rising from a stakeholders meeting to review the State Executive Council meeting decision on the Ugboba issue, Obomkpa insisted that it is an aberration to have two kings in one community.

The community said in the whole of Delta State and Nigeria it is yet to see any community where two kings rule on the same land.

In a statement, the Onu Obi of the community Chief Stephen Chima Obomkpa said, the issue of secession championed by some persons in Ugboba has been on for a very long time insisting that all litigations in respect of the matter were clearly won by Obomkpa.

“We have been having these issues for over seventy years and have maintained peace all along. We expected that government will seek our view in this matter. Can you snap the finger without the thumb? Government did not consult us before reaching this decision and we are worried that our ancestors will turn in their graves to learn about this unfortunate decision in a democratic setting. Every community has its own history and it appears that some people are bent on rewriting the history of Obomkpa, we will watch and see how far they will go.

Continuing he said, “we have always had our objection to the issue of two kings in Obomkpa and through our lawyers we drew the attention of the State Government to the 1986 Supreme Court Judgement where the learned Justices unanimously held that historical evidence before them showed that Ugboba quarter and the land which it has been claiming belongs to Obomkpa.

Chief Chima explained that though the community presented the Supreme Court judgment to the State Government through the office of the Local Government and chieftaincy Affairs as well as the Office of the Attorney General it appears that critical information were not taken into consideration in reaching the decision to grant recognition to Ugboba as a kingdom within Obomkpa.

“Where in Nigeria have you heard that there is a kingdom within another kingdom, or is the state government trying to forcibly redraw our map? He queried. We are certain that some people cleverly withheld critical information from the government and when all the facts are brought to the open as it ought to be people will be better informed, he added.

According to him,’our position on this issue is simple, we have had years of inter marital relationships with our people in Ugboba and if Ugboba wants self determination, it should be done under the umbrella of one community, which is Obomkpa’. He added that, ‘ those helping Ugboba to divide from Obomkpa are the ones fueling discord and planning anarchy and they will fail in their selfish ambition, we can recognize a leadership for Ugboba as with other quarters of the community but certainly not a king on Obomkpa land.

While asking Delta State Government to rethink its position, Chief Chima said, despite the unnecessary provocation by some people in Ugboba quarter, Obomkpa community has been peaceful over the years and suggested that the status quo remains in the interest of peace and stability.

Obomkpa, he noted will continue to fine tune its strategies and cooperate with the State Government and all well meaning people in ensuring safety and security in the area and the State.

In a similar situation, the Obomkpa Obi in Council says it received the news of the recognition of an Obi for Ugboba with shock and disbelief. The Obi in council which met immediately the announcement was made explained that equity, fairness and justice was been miscarried and appealed to the State Government to take a fresh look at the issue.

In a statement by the Pascal Mobosi the Uwolo of Obomkpa the Obi in Council explained that Ugboba was part of Obomkpa and that the alignment of the quarter with Odiani clan was purely political and for administrative reasons which should not elevate the quarter to a full community.

Drawing the attention of the State Government to the 1986 Supreme Court Judgement, Chief Mobosi said the Military Government in 1979 used the instrument of cohesion to instal an Obi in Ugboba an anomaly which was voided by the 1986 Supreme Court judgement.

“It was Ugboba that appealed to the Supreme Court after losing at the Appeal Court level and the Judgements are all there for every diligent legal officer to see. We are therefore surprised that some people in this age and time are using government machinery to try to change our history.

Continuing he said, ‘we never thought that a day like this will ever come again, but now that it is here we can only appeal to the Government help us allow sleeping dogs to lie. Ugboba people have their roots in us and we also have some of our root in them. We should be left alone to find solutions to our differences rather than government trying to divide us.

Chief Mobosi whose tittle translates as the Defense Minister of Obomkpa, said our ancestors are waiting and watching how this issue will be resolved and it is our prayer that justice and equity prevails.

“People should not do in Obomkpa what they cannot permit to happen in their own community,” he noted.

Meantime, the people of Obomkpa are watching keenly how the issue unfolds and eventually resolved in line with the peace agenda of the Okowa administration.