Photo Credit: Ime-Obi Onitsha
Following the recent compromising video making the rounds on the internet wherein some Anambra Traditional rulers were shown sharing money, the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, chaired by the Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty Nnaemeka Achebe has called for appropriate sanctions against the rulers involved.
From the video, the money been shared allegedly came from Business tycoon, Arthur Eze who allegedly took them to Abuja, to discuss matters of the state with President Muhammadu Buhari.
Rising from a meeting in Onitsha on Tuesday, the royal fathers expressed dissatisfaction that their colleagues had audaciously ruptured the customary protocol which stipulates that the state government must be duly informed of their movement as well as the objective of their visit.
According to Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, the act of traveling outside the state on an appointment to President Buhari on behalf of Anambra Kings on matters concerning the State, without the knowledge of the state government and the Council’s leadership is totally wrong.
His words: “It has been the tradition that traditional rulers should inform appropriate authorities before traveling out of the state. Secondly, they went to Abuja for an appointment with President Muhammadu Buhari to talk about matters of the state and they were going there as ‘Ndi Eze’ Anambra. But the question is, do they have the mandate of the Council to represent us at the so-called meeting? Do they have the mandate of the Anambra people to speak for them? The answer is no, therefore they were usurping authority.
“On the other hand, they went to meet the President to whom all the 36 states of the Federation are accountable for the good order of the respective states. How could they go to discuss such matters? We are Igbos and must deal with our matters internally. Why take our issues outside the state to resolve. How many of the other ethnic groups bring their matters to us to settle? These are the questions we are asking’’.
In attendance at the meeting were the Second Deputy Chairman of the Council, Igwe Sunday Okafor, Chairman of Anambra South Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Col. JOC Onebunne, his Anambra North counterpart, Igwe Victor Awogu and the Chairman of Anambra Central Traditional Council.
Conversely, efforts geared towards reaching the erring rulers captured in the video proved abortive.
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