The Traditional Council of Ubulu Uku town in Aniocha South Local Government of Delta State has taken a firm stand behind the actions leading to the installation of HRM Obi Noah Akaeze I  as successor of his father, the late HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III who was murdered by Fulani herdsmen. The Council also dismissed criticisms from a section of the town against the new Obi, insisting that those opposed to the emergence of the new king are enemies of the town and violators of the sacred traditional values of the Ubulu Uku kingdom. Below is the full text of the Press Statement:

In view of the events of the past weeks, every reasonable Ubulu-Uku person had barely recovered from the shock and mourning of our late Obi, HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III, when we started reading abominable remarks and publications sponsored by one Mr. Emmanuel Onyekachukwu Ejiofor, a former Onishe of Ubulu-Uku.

The Ubulu-Uku Traditional Council held a meeting with representatives of Umuobi (The Royal Family), Umuozim (Descendants of Ozim- Past Rulers), Ubulu-Uku Development Council and all the “Ebos” in Ubulu-Uku kingdom on the 26th March, 2016 and resolved to state, for record purposes, the true position of affairs in the kingdom in reply to the tantrums of this drowning renegade in the person of Emmanuel O. Ejiofor. Reports of the press interview granted by him which appeared in the Sun, Vanguard and Independent Newspapers of the 15th and 16thof March, 2016 have confirmed our suspicions.

Emmanuel O. Ejiofor is known to Ubulu-Uku people. He is known as a man with a bloated and bogus personality who mouths empty platitudes to stuff his ego with a semblance of substance. He is also a man consumed by greed for power to cover his various inadequacies. His whimsical fairytales stand Ubulu-Uku traditional norms on the head!

THE ISSUES

1. There are no kingmakers in Ubulu-Uku:

We neither practice rotational monarchy nor do we choose kings from the wealthiest, most endowed or influential families. In our kingdom, a king is born, not made. He is known to all at birth, because our kingship is hereditary.

When HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III was born in UK, the news (telegram) was heralded with canon shots in the palace ground by his grandfather HRM Obi Ofulue I, who subsequently killed cows and feasted the Umuobi, Umuozim and members of Ubulu-Uku community in commemoration of the birth of an heir to the throne. An emissary, Prince Sunny Ofulue, the present Ozoma-Onya of Ubulu-Uku was dispatched to London to perform an important traditional rite on the new born king called “ifime isi”. The reason why Akaeze, the first and oldest son of the Queen, is king, instead of the three (3) first sons of different mothers before him, lie in the tenets of our tradition as enunciated and amplified by the decisions, pronouncements and actions taken by HRH Obi Ofulue I. He personally midwifed with pump and pageantry, the traditional marriage of the     Queen he wanted to bear the heir to the throne of his fathers.

2. “Nine-man Council of Chiefs Called Umuozim”:

This is a contraption of our tradition that can only emanate from the voodoo mindset of Emmanuel O. Ejiofor. Umuozim simply means children of Ozim. Ozim gave birth to Ozimegwu who was the first king after Ezemu. He ruled in Ubulu-Uku from 1280 to 1296. Umuozim are descendants of the royal families. The four (4) oldest men in each of these “Royal Trees” make up the Umuozim. They relate with the incumbent Obi and offer him valuable advice and support where necessary. Emmanuel O. Ejiofor is not a member of Umuozim, his forbearers hail from Okpanam in Oshimili North L.G.A.

There is only one Council of Chiefs in Ubulu-Uku, and that is the Obi-in-Council comprising all the chiefs in Ubulu-Uku, with the Obi as the head. The chieftaincy structure in Ubulu-Uku is divided into three (3) groups. One group is headed by the lyase and they are in charge of defense, land and boundary security. Another group is headed by the Onishe and they answer to the administrative needs of the king, and the third group is the Palace Household/Domestic Chiefs headed by Ojiba. None of these chiefs is indispensable.

3. The Onishe Title:

This title belonged abinitio to the Isiekwene family of Akwu village. They are the Onishe Ezemus. The title however migrated to Onije village and then to Ogbego (Idumu-Onishe). When Chief Charles Onwordi (Onishe) died, the title stool became vacant. Emmanuel O. Ejiofor from Isho village who wants power by all means, after an unsuccessful attempt to grab a different title, claimed a very remote relationship with Idumu-Onishe.  Three (3) times he approached HRH Obi Edward Ofulue II through different emissaries; three (3) times he was rejected. About a year later, the king whose health had started failing, was said to have changed his mind, and a letter of appointment emanated from the palace. The appointment was greeted with opprobrium, culminating in police and court actions. Umuozim and well known political elders in Delta State who knew the person and political antecedents of Emmanuel O. Ejiofor took HRH Obi Edward Ofulue II to task, and even to court, on account of the charade called appointment. That was in February, 2005. Surprisingly, about a year later the king departed.

Emmanuel O. Ejiofor, while taking this title swore to oaths of secrecy, allegiance and also oaths forbidding conspiracy and rebellion against the Kingdom. He swore and paid allegiances to the King, the Queen, the heir apparent HRM Obi Akaeze Ofulue III, the king’s first daughter and others as tradition demands. It is called “ïkpe nzene”. This was done in the presence of many who are alive today. He may have a short memory.

4. Emmanuel Onyekachukwu Ejiofor is not a Chief in Ubulu-Uku:

Emmanuel O. Ejiofor parted ways with the kingdom. He reneged on all the oaths he swore to, defied the King’s orders and started a rebellion. This confirmed the fears of those who opposed his appointment. He was suspended on the 7th of November, 2007. He remained unrepentant and recalcitrant and was finally derobbed on the 2nd of July, 2011. See page 50 of Vanguard of August 30th 2011. His removal as chief was endorsed by the Obi-in-Council and the entire community. The word of a king is law and no subject, no matter how highly placed, is greater than the king. He was Onishe for only two years and some months. For over eight (8) years now he has been out of office and attended the last meeting of Ubulu-Uku traditional council on the 22nd of September 2006, a month after HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III was installed as king.

5. Onishe does not crown our king:

In the history of Ubulu-Uku kingdom, no Obi has ever been crowned by an Onishe. Emmanuel O. Ejiofor’s inordinate ambition to crown a king cannot materialize in his lifetime. He has not watched any king being crowned in Ubulu-Uku and had never participated in the enthronement of any king before HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III. The Onishe during the time of HRH Obi Ofulue I, Chief Onwordi, died before the king. When HRH Obi Ofulue I departed to join his ancestors there was no Onishe. HRH Obi Edward Ofulue II was enthroned and crowned without an Onishe in the kingdom, and he was a revered and esteemed king that reigned for over 40years (1964-2006). He appointed Chief Charles Onwordi and subsequently Emmanuel O. Ejiofor as Onishe. So, how is it that without an Onishe, a king cannot be crowned? There are so many reputable chiefs in the administrative cadre of the kingdom and they all answer to, and work for the king.

Our tradition demands that when a king departs, it is hush-hush. The Umuobi’s (the royal family) and Olizene Imunor (inner house chiefs) perform the traditional rite of “isume ike nukpo”- to put the heir apparent butt on the royal stool. This ceremony is shrouded in secrecy. Most chiefs and ordinary mortals do not know when and how it is done. As soon as the ceremony of “isume ike nukpo” is performed, the Obi is enthroned and crowned instantly. He becomes the Obi from that moment and that is the day recognized by law as the date of commencement of rulership. He does not require anyone to crown him after this. He is then presented to the Obi-in-Council, Umuozin and the community to pay their respect. This usually happens in the midnight. This lends credence to the saying that the king never dies, because by morning the new king is seated on his throne (one is always on the throne). It is during the presentation of the Obi to the community at “Ogwa ukwu” the big palace court, that the Onishe introduces the king by raising his right hand saying, “This is your king. All hail the king!!!”

6. The enthronement and crowing of HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III:

Emmanuel O. Ejiofor was on hand to receive the heir apparent when he returned from UK. Emmanuel O. Ejiofor was always with HRM Obi Edward Akaeze III in the house of Prince Sunny Ofulue the Ozoma-Onyia at Akpama quarters where he resided because the heir apparent was not supposed to enter the palace until the time for the “isume ike nukpo”. When Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III passed through the “isume ike nukpo”, the main installation ceremony on the 21st August, 2006, Emmanuel O. Ejiofor was Onishe. He was not where Umuobi and Olizene Imunor put him on the royal stool. He did not complain. As a Chief, he participated in signing the enthronement documents on the 25th of September, 2006 (over a month after the installation of the king) along with other chiefs. He was also in the entourage that formally escorted the new king to the Local Government Traditional Council meeting, where he made remarks requesting the Traditional Council to recognize HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III as the king of Ubulu-Uku. This is recorded in the minutes of the meeting of the Council of Aniocha South Traditional Rulers of the 28th day of September, 2006. The derobbed duo of Mr. Eluemunor Ikezue, the former Odafe and Mr. Sunday Ojiba, the former Ojiba (stooges of Emmanuel O. Ejiofor) also signed the enthronement documents. The former Ojiba fully participated in the installation ceremony as a Palace chief and attended meetings in the palace up till 29th of March, 2007 before he joined the rebellion against the king.

The Traditional Council approved and recommended the recognition of HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III as requested vide a declaration signed by all the Traditional Rulers in Aniocha South Local Government Area, but one. This is not a secret document. Worthy of note is that some of the traditional rulers who were in this meeting and who signed this declaration are still members of the Council, including the Obis of Ubulu-Okiti and Ubulu-Unor. The State Government approved the request, recognized the new king and presented him with a Staff of Office. We have arrived at the conclusion that Emmanuel O. Ejiofor either has a short memory or is just a bundle of mischief, or both. HRM Agbogidi Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III was traditionally enthroned and crowned and had a legal seal and stamp to his enthronement with a Staff of Office from the highest authority in the State in charge of traditional matters- the Delta State Government. See gazette No. 24, vol. 18 of 12th June, 2008.

7. The Conspiracy:

Emmanuel O. Ejiofor and his stooges challenged the legitimacy of the kingship of HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofullue III in the High Court in suit No. A/1212/2006, and lost. Ubulu-Uku has moved on, but Emmanuel O. Ejiofor continues to live in the past. He is heavily pained that he is no longer relevant in the affairs of Ubulu-Uku kingdom. As if to get back at the king after he was derobbed, he set himself on a mission impossible. He travelled to London, met Prince Okwuchukwu Ofulue, the Obi’s half-brother, and lied to him that he was sent by Ubulu-Uku people to bring him home to take the throne, five (5) years after the death of his father HRH Obi Edward Ofulue II, and five (5) years after a Staff of Office was given to HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III. Why will it take five (5) years for a Prince to acknowledge the death of his father? Put aside the issue of the throne, when, where and how did Prince Okwuchukwu Ofulue pay the last respect to his departed father, haven re-established contact with his father and visited Ubulu-Uku at least twice? Prince Okwuchukwu Ofulue is not the first male child of HRH Obi Edward Ofulue II. Emmanuel O. Ejiofor only drew the unsuspecting Prince into a crooked web of deception, and used him to engage in a personal vendetta against the king, which has estranged the Prince from his micro family. The project was an abysmal failure. The Prince has since returned to London to carry on with his life.

8. There is only one impostor and usurper in Ubulu-Uku kingdom and that person is Emmanuel O. Ejiofor. He has usurped the power of God to enthrone and dethrone (Altar Ego/Supreme Authority), he has usurped the authority of Government to appoint, set aside or depose a traditional ruler when found wanting. He tried desperately to usurp the authority of HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III and the Royal Family of Ubulu-Uku but was vehemently resisted. Emmanuel O. Ejiofor embodies mediocrity, and contrary to his prayers for calamity to befall the young king HRM Obi Chukwuka Aniyemeze Noah Akaeze I, he will dance to his grave in the altar of mediocrity. As he rejoices and boasts at the death of our departed king, people will rejoice at his death, even his very own. Aniyemeze is the name given to the new king by the Umuozim. This literally means the land and the people gave him this throne!
9. Emmanuel O. Ejiofor calls our new king a minor and wondered why a child of 17 years could be crowned king. Because he is largely uneducated, unexposed and timid, someone should inform him that the Dein of Agbor was enthroned king at the tender age of two (2) years! Regency has been approved for many such kingdoms and that of Ubulu-Uku kingdom is not different.
10. HRM Obi Edward Ofulue II did not need an Onishe to be crowned, HRM Obi Edward Akaeze Ofulue III was not crowned by an Onishe even when there was one, so why would the undisputed heir to the throne, HRM Chukwuka Noah Akaeze I need an Onishe to be crowned? He followed the pattern of his grandfather and father’s enthronement. Emmanuel O. Ejiofor’s recognition, as an individual, is rather infantile, inconsequential and of no effect, compared to the recognition the new king has received and continues to receive from Umuobi, Umuozim, the Obi-in-Council, Ubulu-Uku Development Council, the entire Ubulu-Uku community, the Local Government, the State, and indeed the world.
11. Emmanuel O. Ejiofor had the temerity to drag the State Government into his evil propaganda. The Government (whether State or Local) does not choose kings for communities. The government recognizes the king presented to them by the community after being recommended by the LGA Traditional Council. It is the prerogative of the State Government to approve the appointment of a traditional ruler, and the chieftaincy laws of the State make the process transparent and without encumbrances. The courtesy call by HRM Obi Chukwuka Noah Akaeze 1 on the Governor of Delta State was in warm appreciation of the overwhelming support accorded the people and kingdom of Ubulu-Uku during the kidnap, demise and interment of his father.
12. Finally, we wish to refer to the publication in the Independent Newspaper of 15th March, 2016 were Emmanuel O. Ejiofor was quoted as saying that, “the political manipulations that backfired against the late monarch would soon catch up with the embattled monarch (Noah)”. This is viewed as an arrogant and egocentric acceptance of complicity in the gruesome murder of our departed king HRM Obi Edward Ofulue II, and a subtly declared intention to harm the new king. It is equally an act of provocation. We have constrained ourselves within the ambits of civility since our king’s life was brutally terminated, and now someone is dancing on his grave and insulting the sensibilities of Ubulu-Uku citizens all over the world. Emmanuel O. Ejiofor has taken our calm for cowardice.

We hereby draw government’s attention and focus on the investigation being conducted by the Police. The Inspector General of Police and other security agencies must conclude this investigation, expose and punish those involved in the kidnapping and killing of our king, and they should not look very far.

We leave Emmanuel O. Ejiofor with a common adage in Ubulu-Uku. When a man cooks for the community, members of the community will finish the food, but when a community cooks for one man, he certainly will not be able to finish the food. He will eat, eat and eat until it becomes a burden.

Obi-In-Council                                                        Umuobi (Royal Family)

Chief A.O. Mordi Ojubi (Alloh) …………    Prince C.A Obanor (Diokpa) …………….

Chief E.I. Okafor (Iyase) …………………   Chief S.I. Ofulue (Ozoma) ……………..

Chief Dr. S. Nwabuokei (Ojigwu) ……….    Prince G.U. Ofulue (Diokpa Umu Ofulue)……

Chief W.O. Ezeana (Ojeami) …………….    Prince Anthony Ofulue (Regent) ……………..

Chief G.N.C. Ofulue JP (Isagba) ………..                Umuozim

Chief C.N. Okolie (Ojichukwubulozor) …….     Pa Eboji Ikem (Diokpa Umuozim) …..…

Chief James Adoh (Onwomadu) ………..          Pa Nkwo Osaji …………………..

Chief Raphael Okonye (Ochudo) ……….          Mr. Okolie Ikem ………………..

Chief E.C. Nwaefulu JP (Kobindi) ……..          Mr. Nath. Egbune ………………

Barrister J.O. Obazei (Palace Secretary)…… … Mr. Samuel Unini (Secretary) ……….

Ubulu-Uku Development Council

Comrade (Sir) Jones N. Ofunne:

(National President) ………………

Mr. Nwanne Memeh:

(National Secretary) ……………