In their letter dated 11th August 2020, captioned: "Letter of Notification" jointly signed the leaders of the various groups raised five pertinent issues for the Chiefs Council to consider or to walk along with as follows:
1. There shall be no Council of Chiefs elections or change in the leadership of the Council of Chiefs until a King is chosen and coronated.
2. That this act of King installation should not exceed from this day 12th August, to 30th October 2020.
3.We as a people want to celebrate the New Year 2021 with our new King.
4. There shall be no agenda in the Chiefs Council meeting apart from the election and coronation of a new King for the community.
5. That burial in honour of a deceased Chief shall not be held until a King is elected and installed."
Paragraph two of the letter which expressed the mind and the feelings of the writers has this to say:
"It has become a burden to us that as things are going on in our Kingdom, we will never have the taste and the sight of a King for reasons best known to you our Chiefs. It has been Eight (8) years since our late (King Ralph Michael Iwowari (OON) Mein the (VII) was laid to rest with our ancestors.
It has not been crystal clear that the persons assuming office as Regent/Chairman in the Council of Chiefs has assumed themselves as Kings and has looked and reasoned away from installing a King...."After a briefing at the Chiefs Council by the Chairman on the development, the Chiefs proceeded to the traditional open field, Ogbodo square to have an interactive session with the community.
The Chairman of the Chiefs Council, Chief D.I Oriango Ekpeleyai-Oruwari who addressed the gathering spoke on a wide range of issues bordering on responsibilities of the Chiefs Council under the present leadership. He also talked about other issues that the traditional government could not shy away from addressing on daily or weekly basis, and described the call that the Chiefs Council should do no other thing but only to concentrate on the election of the King, was not to the. best interest of the community because of other pressing needs calling for attention.
Talking about what the Chiefs Council is doing about the election of a new king, the Chairman said:
"To elect an Amanyanabo is for both those at home and those outside to come together to consult and take a position to elect a befitting King for the Kingdom. Hear him:
" To elect an Amanyanabo,.we all need to consult in and outside together ..Right now to elect the next Amanyanabo,.as the world is changing, we are also changing, we have what is called Construction...We have decided how to do things and written it down and if you derail we will tell you, that is not what we agreed on.
"Therefore, as we are writing our Constitution, the Amanyanabo and the Chiefs Council, how they will function or relate, such writings are also there...in that regard after we had finished writing those things before the King is enthroned will be better than making that law in the face of a sitting King, that is why when nobody had sat on the throne we better make the law, seal it, when the person comes in, and the book is given to the person, the person will begin to move in that direction, we will also walk in that direction."
The Chairman explained that while the Chiefs Council was almost making ready the Constitution for printing, when some people of this community approached us to make presentations and we gave them time, believing that their presentations may add or subtract from the Constitution.
That was why we waited for them and they came and discussed the issues with us.
They also put it in writing... because of our efforts we have come to this level, but you think we have done nothing..
"We are making the Constitution, when we finish with that then we will come to the next stages to elect the Amanyanabo..."
The Chiefs Council Chairman concluded
Responding,
the Chairman of the Deputy Chiefs Council, Deputy Chief D.C.Otorudigha said himself, Elder Jumbo Olali T. and the President of the Youth Federation were to present the position of the community.
First presentation by Deputy Chief Otorudigha reads:
"We are not forcing you and if what we have written does not go down well with you, we apologise.
But what we are saying is that, right now the present Executive of the Chiefs Council should not be dissolved nor removed, they must be in office until the King is elected and coronated.."
2nd presentation by Elder Jumbo Olali T. reads::
"If we must learn from experiences of the past of what someone had passed through that will give us good direction.
"During the time of Ogbodo the 7th, late Chief Korobo Tamuno was Chairman of the Chiefs Council there was disagreement between the King and the Chiefs Council, it was about the Constitution written by the Chiefs Council, if he signed it, in a short while they were going to remove him, therefore the King said No! but if they removed that clause he was going to sign it.
" Those days either Chief Ogbu or Yousuo was President of Opu Nembe Improvement Union. We went to SDP Secretariat and decided that matter, and there was unity and any of the Chiefs that was there can bear witness to this.
"On that ground the Community is saying that the Constitution you are writing when an Amanyanabo is elected what name he will bear is one of the thoughts the Chiefs Council is having in heart as one of the works you will do.
What we are saying is that, whenever a Constitution was written as we knew in those days, and it is given to the King he signs it and the Constitution becomes a law, isn't it?
"Now, a Constitution is being written when there is not yet a King, the question is, when the King comes, is he going to sign it?"
3rd presentation by the President of the Oou Nembe Youth Federation, Moses Ebitimi Ayerite reads:
" We the Youths have delibrated and what we are coming out with is about the time, Amanyanabo will be elected. The Chiefs Council could remember that anytime you scheduled a meeting to elect a new exco.you never failed. In that light, we know the time we have given in our letter, if we see progress then only, shall we discuss extension of time, but not now."
That ended the historic interactive session between the Chiefs and the Opu Nembe Bassambiri Community.
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