How many traditional rulers in Edo state would we say are not guilty of the above listed reasons for the suspension besides the issue of the lady which has already been resolved amicably between the palace and the lady involved. My point is not to justify whatever the Onojie has done but to employ discretion and wisdom in dealing with traditional issues. There is a reason why the British constitution says that the Queen does no wrong. It is in a bid to avoid dragging the name of traditional rulers who act as custodians to our traditions, culture, heritage and history, to the mud. It is not because the Queen is above the law.
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Traditional institutions play a significant role in our present day polity and there are set ways and customs these institutions handle their own issues should there be erring on the part of the traditional rulers.
Secondly, do the people of Uromi accept the suspension of their king? The answer is NO. The people of Uromi regard the Onojie of Uromi as their king, suspension or no suspension. I therefore do not see any reason why one should waste any time debating the so called suspension. The kingship is by primogeniture not election, selection or nomination. The government should come and give the people of Uromi another Onojie if they truly believe they have the power to suspend or depose a traditional ruler. The people are the kingmakers not the government. The government can therefore keep their privileges.
Traditional issues should be handled with wisdom and discretion. By suspending a traditional ruler, you inadvertently turn his subjects against your government as you are less likely to enjoy any form of cooperation or legitimacy from his people. On this, Oshiomhole acted wrongly and whoever advised him to ply this path is obviously not an Ahitophel
The election is over. Too much enmities were created during the process. It is time for the state as a whole to heal. At least let's have a moment's peace before the next election. Suspending a traditional ruler who did not support you is not a good way to achieve that.
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The elections are over now. APC won. This is the time to mend fences. 48 laws of power says " In victory, know when to stop". That is what Oshiomhole doesn't know.
I do not condemn all of Oshiomhole's policies but going against a traditional ruler in this manner is totally condemnable. We should have regards for traditional institutions and whatever is happening in Uromi now, can happen to any traditional ruler in Edo state tomorrow. We should therefore condemn this act. It is redundant, despicable and above all unnecessary.
We should not play politics with everything. Oshiomhole is a human and can make mistakes. This decision he took is a mistake and should be condemned by all who still have regards for culture. The action by the government is condemnable and it stands condemned by me.
John Ewah
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