By Desmond Amanoritsewo
The silence is deafening just as the obvious has become common place with everyone except a few playing the ostrich and believing that the vast majority are still gullible as it was in the past in this twenty-first century.
The rumour mill is grinding away dangerously with each passing day as to where the pendulum would likely swing to as directed by the God in Heaven and our ancestors but interpreted by men of power, money and influence. And yes, this is where the trouble lies-upturning the decision of the all-seeing God for selfish aggrandizement.
As deafening as the silence appear, there are obvious signals that all is not well with the kingdom, yet some are already arrogating to themselves the power of life and death even as others are insisting that only the right thing be done otherwise peace will continue to elude the kingdom as long as manipulations of the sacred revelations of the gods have become the order of the day.
To put it in perspective, various interest groups have sprung up propagating various theories and interpreting the “edict” to suit their whims and caprices.
But one thing is crystal clear and that is the fact that Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor and the women folk have insisted that the “next monarch must be independent, sound in mind and fit in character, morals and sound enough in the language, custom, culture and traditions of the Itsekiri people.
According to her, those who claim to know it all over and above other Itsekiri sons and daughters should come to the palace and show to the rest of us where their Royal father is or wherever he may be to settle this vex issue once and for all time.
In this season of anomy in the land, various interest are pulling their weights as to who becomes whatever from Regency to proper attendance to the throne. And coming from the good old days of the revered Erejuwa 11 of blessed memory, names and nominations of Princes have become the order of the day with the eventual emergence of His Majesty, Atuwatse 11 followed by His Majesty, Ikenwoli which regent was Mr. Eroro Emiko some five years ago.
Though a Regent has emerged in the person of Mr. Emma Okotie-Eboh after about five others where screened by the major stakeholders from the Royal family, one thing became certain and that is that “no one man can become Regent to two consecutive monarchs at a stretch where there are a plethora of other very qualified candidates from the Ginuwa 1 ruling house in the kingdom”.
On the tortuous journey to the nomination, selection and eventual emergence of an Olu-elect all this while where so far, interested candidates or interest blocks have limited possible choices to Prince Alhaji Benard Emiko, a Muslim and Prince Oyowoli Emiko, the first son of HM Ikenwoli who is an alleged to be into drugs and also cannot speak the Itsekiri language including other disqualifying traits, one person’s name has virtually been missing or has been deliberately omitted from the selection process all this while and that person is no other than Prince Samuel Gbesimi Emiko. He is the last son of Erejuwa 11. He bears the same middle name with his late father -Gbesimi.
Grounded in all areas, this 42-years old graduate of Geology and Mining from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology is married with two children and is currently an Information Technology (IT) and Media Consultant tucked away not too far from the kingdom and whose pedigree should be of interest to the king makers of Iwereland. He is a man of strong and stable character, independent minded and humble as a person worthy of traditional investigation for possible nomination, selection and enthronement baring any manipulation from the powers that be.
At this juncture it is pertinent reveal that the emergence of Mr. Emma Okotie-Eboh as Regent was accidental to the extent that all the first five nominees declined the offer based on age and some other genuine reasons so advanced.
