The announcement last week from the Igala Traditional Council that Mr Mathew Opaluwa has been chosen as the new Attah Igala to succeed the late Michael Idakwo Ameh-Oboni has sparked another bitter row amongst the ruling Oguche House.
Indeed, the preferred candidate for the exalted position, Mr Samuel Opaluwa, is challenging the choice of The Traditional Council as an act of political imposition and abuse of the law governing the selection process.
He is going ahead with his rejection of Mr Mathew Opaluwa as the new Attah Igala through an official petition he has sent to the Commissioner for Local Govt.and Chieftaincy Affairs as well as Kogi State Council of Chiefs not to accept the nomination of Mr. Mathew Opaluwa for the exalted position.
In the petition forwarded by his Lawyer, A.S Akpala & Co., he argued that “forwarding the name of Mr Mathew Opaluwa as an Attah-Designate to the State Council of Chiefs as provided for in section 10 of Legal Notice No.
2 of 2015, if that were to be interpreted literally, would make the position of the Igala Area Traditional Council not only redundant but most irrelevant in such weighty case as in the recommendation of an Attah-designate”.
It is further pointed out that “we are disgusted to note that the Review Panel shoved aside all the obvious facts in our Client’s presentation and went outside these terms to recommend a candidate who was never recommended/nominated by the relevant King makers from the Aju Ame-Achor Ruling House, and who is far junior in age to our client as a candidate for appointment to the exalted throne of Attah Igala.”
The petitioner is therefore appealing that the most elderly and qualified male contestant from the Aju Ame-Achor Ruling House, Mr. Samuel Opaluwa, who was duly screened and nominated by the kingmakers of that Ruling House be recommended to His Excellency, The Executive Governor – in Council, for appointment to the vacant throne of Attah Igala.
From an impeccable source that Mr Samuel Opaluwa’s group of elders in the ruling Oguche House have also reacted angrily to the latest development, believing strongly that I. T. C has violated Order 2 of the procedure and regulations for the selection and Ascension to the stool of Attah Igala.
According to one of the elders of the ruling family House, Jacob Etu, a retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, “it is highly disappointing that some members of I.T.C. could be so politically and financially compromised in order to thwart the cause of Justice and peaceful life of members of the ruling family.
With the latest development over the choice of who will succeed the late Micheal Idakwo Ameh-Oboni, the Igala people of Kogi State would still have to wait a little longer without a substantive Attah Igala.