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| Chief Otonye Evans TubonaC |
Section 20
(i) Whenever a reigning Amanyanabo passes away, the Chairman of the Chiefs'Council for the time being shall automatically become the Regent.
(ii) The Regent will continue in office until the Amanyanabo is laid to rest. Thereafter, the Regent will remain in office for one year during which period a new Amanyanabo will be appointed, and the position of the Regent is relinquished."
The King was laid to rest following a burial programme that began Nov. 23rd-Dec. 7th 2014 as per the traditions of Opu Nembe, from which period you automatically became the Regent to carry out the function assigned by the Constitution to the Regent that should not go beyond one year.
But you operated outside the stipulated period of one year, infact your mandate as Regent expired after the one year because that is what the Constitution says. And while you were there presiding in a meeting, the House appointed another Regent and because of the emergence of the other Regent by the same Chiefs Council of Opu Nembe in person of Chief Robert Johnbull Efere, the Council was factionalized. You were the leader of one faction and Chief Efere was the leader of the other faction and both of you were Regent.
Though, our medium Golden Pen Newspaper published the backing of your mandate by the Constitution at that time, it was appalling that you did not obey the Constitution in the appointment of a King until it was over, yet it didn't occur to you that you have no more mandate to claim being either Chairman of Chiefs Council or Regent of Opu Nembe.
In the Regent factional crisis that stagnated and impoverished the people and the community, you were fingered as dipping your hand into the coffers of the Chiefs Council, carting away jaw breaking amounts of millions of naira for purposes of avoidable litigation in courts.
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| Chief Ikaonaworio Eferebo Igoma |
You were dragged to Court not to parade yourself as an overall Regent in Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs.
"...THE HIGH COURT OF BAYELSA STATE OF NIGERIA IN THE NEMBE JUDICIAL DIVISION HOLDEN AT YENAGOA SUIT NO: NHC/5/2017 BETWEEN CHIEF ROBERT JOHNBULL EFERE CLAIMANT AND CHIEF (DR) I.EFEREBO IGOMA DEFENDANT"
The case which originated through summons dated 17/3/17, was filed, by the claimant for the Court to interpret a document titled:
"A PEACE RESOLUTION REACHED BY OPU NEMBE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS"
The Court after careful examination on the issues raised by the claimant made the following declarations:
"A. A Declaration to the effect that the Defendant is only the Chairman/leader of a faction of Opu nembe Council of Chiefs in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
"B. A Declaration to the effect that the Defendant, not being the Chairman/leader the entirety of the Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs, is not the Regent of Opu-Nembe Community in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, in accordance with the customs and traditions thereof.
"An Order of Perpetual Injunction restraining the Defendant from parading himself as the Chairman/leader of Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs, and as the Regent of Opu Nembe Community in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State."
Delivering Judgement on the matter 15/03/2018 L.M.BOUTIMI JUDGE declared as follows:
"A careful look at Exhibit A shows that both parties willingly signed a document titled A PEACE RESOLUTION REACHED BY OPU NEMBE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS to be of good behavior and after the burial of late Chief A.S. Digha-Ongiri.
"It is also clear that both parties admitted representing two factions who agreed not to perform any traditional rites of receiving the late A.B Digha Ongiri. Both parties agreed that S.D. Ben Koru should oversee the burial that every executive council collapsed for the duration of the burial. Both parties promised not to ferment trouble in Opu-Nembe and it's environs.
"It is my opinion that this document, Exhibit A, was made as stated in the document for the duration of the late A.B.Digha-Ongiri.
"It is my opinion that two factions existing,; the claimant and the3 defendant in the originating summons heading the various factions are daggers drawn. It is in the light of the above I make the following Declaration :
1. The Defendant is only the Chairman/Leader of a faction of the Opu N embe Council of Chiefs in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
2. That the defendant, not being Chairman/Leader of Chiefs, is not and cannot be the Regent of Opu-Nembe Community in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, in line with the customs and traditions thereof.
3. "An Order of Injunction restricting the Defendant from parading himself as Chairman/Leader of Opu Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State until such a time the proper procedure followed.
4. "It is also Ordered that both factions maintain peace until when proper procedure is adopted, in the appointment of a Leader/Chairman of Nembe Council of Chiefs and Regent of Opu Nembe community
" This is the judgement of the court."
Following this development which was not unknown to most members of the Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs you went about telling your surrogates that all was well, but you didn't have the courage to convene the first quarter scheduled meeting of the Chiefs Council in April 2018, because of the judgement.
It was widely orchestrated that your compliance to the Court Order was not total, because within the same period you received 150 Surveillance jobs from an Oil Company meant for the Opu Nembe people, which you allegedly diverted unilaterally allocated to yourself, to your family members, and some of the human tools in your hand as alleged, without minding dire consequences. Are you telling the people that the Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs is now synonymous with you or your Private Company? "IKAONAWORIO AND CO, OR EFEREBO & IGOMA LIMITED?
Considering the judgement of Court 15/3/2018 that restrained you from parading yourself as stated above, it was expected of you to quietly and honorably obey the Court Orders and quit as an educated man, an Historian, a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) and a lecturer at the University...and as a man of honour and integrity, but you didn't do that.
Tuesday May 22, 2018, it was alleged that you told some of your surrogates that you commanded the Judge to change his earlier judgement to favour you.
And that you boasted, saying, that the Judge has given you another judgement outside Court, and that you can now become a Chairman of the Chiefs Council and a Regent.
CONCLUSION:
1. You have no mandate to claim, because your mandate by the Constitution of the Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs, as Regent was for one year from 2014 and it has since expired.
2. Another Regent was also elected by the Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs, Chief Robert Johnbull Efere which divided the Chiefs Council to two factions.
You, Chief Ikaonaworio Eferebo Igoma led one faction, while, Chief Robert Johnbull Efere led the other faction and there was no peace in the land.
3.You were dragged to Court, and the Court judgment stated in part:
" It is obvious that two factions exist; Claimant and Defendant in the originating summons, heading the various factions. This is an indication both factions are daggers drawn"
That was what the Judge critically observed before taking the decision of restraining you not to parade yourself as either Chairman of the Chiefs Council or as Regent, for the interest of Peace and Security of the people and the land of Opu Nembe Bassambiri.
4. In that suit you were the defendant, not the claimant. And the Claimant raised issues, A.B &C
A. A Declaration that you were only Chairman/leader of a faction of the Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs, and as such you were not the Regent of Opu Nembe community going by the customs and traditions, and finally that you should be restrained from parading yourself as either Chairman or Regent of Opu Nembe and all these prayers were granted by the Court, thus you have no mandate to call a meeting or preside over community matters with a Declaration that you are not the Regent of Opu Nembe, and as a law abiding citizen of Nigeria, it is pertinent that you obey the Court Order!
By Otonye Godman Evans-Tubonah
Publisher/Editor-In-Chief
Golden Pen Newspaper
CC The Chief Judge of Bayelsa State
CC The Commissioner of Police Bayelsa State Command
CC The Director State Service Bayelsa State
CC All Chiefs of Opu Nembe.
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