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Suspension on our king is a suspension on the entire Umukwata—Umukwata spokesman
HRM Friday Abaja Suspension is an embarrassment on Ndokwa nation—PDP Youth Leader.
The six months suspension of the king of Umukwata Kingdom, in Ukwani Local Government Area of Delta State, His Majesty, Friday Abaja, by the Delta state Government, has continued to draw attention, as elders of Umukwata kingdom, sons and daughters of Ndokwa extraction are calling on the Governor of Delta state, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to lift the six month suspension on their king.
Elders of the community together with the youths who gathered at the Umukwata market square in an event put together by Ufuoma Franklin, with a hash tag #IStandWithHRMEnyiFridayAbaja, said the suspended king is not a politician, therefore he shouldn’t be use to score cheap political point, adding that the governor must save their royal institution.
Speaking with The South Daily News, the spokesperson of the kingdom, Obi Progress, call on the Governor of Delta state, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to lift the suspension on the king, describing the king as peace loving king, and an instrument of infrastructural, human, and capital development to the entire kingdom.
“It took us by surprise, because we got to know of his suspension on the newspaper, and reason for the suspension was that his actions are inimical to peace and good governance. We are in the community and we are part of the community, we didn’t see nor hear issue that you can refer to as a threat to the peace of the community, or even within the local government, so that singular allegation of whatever the use in suspending him, we did not trace a of truth in it in the first place”
“But then there are other information that we heard, that he was suspended because he welcome to his palace the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Great Oveje Ogboru who is also from this community maternally. A king is supposed to be apolitical and be open to bless any of his subject that seek his blessing, and that is what our king did; so if that’s what they are using as a yardstick, then they are not being fair”
Obi Progress further urged the governor to investigate the allegations.
”I know the king to be a man of peace, he had been settling issues single handedly in other communities; I know there are few elements in the community who don’t want peace, they have all along been arguing about his kingship, they have been going to court, and just on the 7th of April, this year, there was a high court ruling at Kwale, that dismissed their application for lack of merit. So when they couldn’t get their way through they are now into political blackmail”
“The Governor is a listening governor, he is our amiable governor, we all love him, I am also a politician, I am a PDP member, so I want the Governor himself to please temper justice with mercy, and lift the suspension, because as it is now, it is the entire community that is under this suspension as it affect us even more than the king himself”
Another elder of the Umukwata kingdom, Thomas Ikogwe, in a chat with The South Daily News, express dissatisfaction over the suspension, saying that His Majesty, Friday Abaja is a pillar of development, peace building, and conflict resolution within and outside the Umukwata Kingdom.
“Umuebu, Amai, Ezionu, at the time these communities were in crisis, our king intervene and used his hard earn money to make sure the issues were amicably resolved. Houses that were destroyed were rebuilt, and people were compensated with money, our king is a philanthropist to the core. Not all that are wealthy as he is are using their wealth to develop that community and its environs. He runs an all-inclusive leadership style, he is not a dictator”
“The suspension is a total embarrassment to the entire community because we never expected it, he had never acted negatively in any manner that can result to breach of peace within and outside the kingdom, this is all jealousy”
Speaking on behalf of the PDP youths in Ukwani Local Government Area, the youth leader, Joseph Chukwunalum, appeal to the Delta state Governor, Dr. Infeanyi Okowa, to lift the six months suspension on the king of Umukwata kingdom, adding that it’s an embarrassment on the entire kingdom.
“I know the governor from the Urhobo ethnic nationality will not suspend an Urhobo king, neither would a Governor from Itsekiri ethnic Nationality suspend their own king, so we the youth of PDP in Ndokwa nation are pleading with the Governor of Delta state, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to have a rethink and lift the six month suspension”
The youth leader further ascribed the actions of the Governor to of misinformation by some disgruntled element.
You would recall that the Delta State Government in a query/suspension letter signed by J.N. Egwahor, Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Chieftaincy Affairs, on behalf of the Deputy Governor handed a six-month suspension, to His Royal Majesty, Friday Abaja, Ukwata I of Umukwata Kingdom for alleged “acts inimical to peace, order and good governance.”
