When kings are forced to kneel down and beg

(‘To err is human, To forgive is divine ‘)
Few days to the formal change of baton from Governor Adams Oshiomhole to then Governor elect Godwin Obaseki,the news broke that His Royal highness Anslem Eidonjie 11 -the Onojie of Uromi , who was hitherto on suspension, had been dethroned by the government of Edo state for reasons connected to the last governorship elections in the state.Apart from the apparent haste with which the decision was made- there are many electoral issues yet unresolved so far, the dethronement raises a number of issues not the least being the precarious position of traditional rulership today in the country. It brings to mind sad memories of colonialism in Africa with its negative impact on the fortunes of traditional rulers in Nigeria.
The purpose of this essay is to appeal to the government of Edo state to forgive and restore the king to his throne.My plea is informed by a number of factors including the significance of traditional institutions in African society especially its salutary effect on the grassroots, respect for the new Oba of Benin, need for peace and harmony in Edo state, the essence of protecting the traditional stool as important symbol of our civilization, consideration of claims to one common ancestry by most Edolites and the dictates of reason and culture.
As the wise man would say:’to err is human, to forgive is divine’. Uromi people like their traditional stool. It is central to their social, cultural life.There are laid down for making and unmaking a king. There many ways a king appeases his people and atone for sins.But when kings are forced to kneel and beg a member of his community in the public, then kingship is no more.It is untraditional to do so. It breeds shocks and disharmony in the community .Kingship is a communal affair. What affects the king equally affects members of his community. Uromi should be spared of further agony in the interest of harmony and development .
SAD MEMORIES OF COLONIALISM
The announcement of the dethronement of the king of Uromi brings back to mind sad memories of colonialism especially its destructive effect on African culture, values and institutions. In particular, it reminds us of the unfortunate encounter between traditional rulers and British colonial authority in which the latter triumphed .The former was humbled and left with sour taste and weak position from which it is yet to recover till date.
At the end traditional rulers became mere shadow of themselves in their domains stripped of powers, authorities and influence and made responsible to a mere Local Government chairman whose permission he must seek and obtain to travel among other forms of subjugation. In a word, the encounter displaced traditional rulership and sent it on long recess off power.
The story is long but the summary is that traditional rulers lost sovereign powers and authority as a result of conquest by the British. And when independence was won in 1960, the political elites ensured their relegation to the background. They became mere ceremonial figures in their domain. In theory and traditional beliefs, the kings are the absolute rulers of their domain. However, in reality he is not because power and authority reside on the elected government of the day. This creates a precarious situation for the Kings. The political elite could easily plot his downfall using the apparatus of the modern state.
There is thus a climate of mutual rivalry and suspicion – even if subdued between the political elite and traditional rulers in different parts of the country. In his domain, the traditional ruler thinks and believes he is supreme over his people and original owner of power. He sees political office holders as usurpers of power and mere upstart in the arena of power. He counts on the divine right and cultural values to lead and govern his people – beg your pardon- his “subjects”. To the political holder of power it is sheer illusion and uppity for the traditional ruler to lay claims to powers over his kingdom because in the final analysis, he is an appointee of state government .
While we see these varying perceptions of power and attendant value -conflict in the events leading to dethronement of the Uromi monarch, there is the need to make some clarification here.The effort here is not to support the king against the subject but to say that it is not in the interest of society to ridicule the institution of traditional rulership. The use of the word ‘subject’ in parts of this essay instead of ‘citizen’ is deliberate. It is only to emphasize a point on the scale of power in order to be able to create a picture of what was in the past and what it is now culturally. The king was supreme in his domain and those within the defined boundaries of that domain were his subjects undisputedly.
This is the sense the Onojie of Uromi used the word “subject”in referring to Betty Irabor in his letter to the government over which it was displeased. It depicts a conflict of values and different perception of society. Both were correct: the king was correct culturally because citizen Betty is an Uromi lady. And government was correct politically because by virtue of independence from Britain and constitution of Nigeria we ceased to be subjects but citizens of Nigeria. However, within the independent country , the kingdoms and their kings survive. The institution of kingship and idea of king as the leader of his community had remained strong and warm in people’s heart. It is a delicate situation which calls for careful navigation and skillful handling .
Though the government made reference to some previous ‘high- handedness of the king, this article is however focused on the action of the king of Uromi during the last gubernatorial election in Edo state. For the avoidance of doubt, the plea for forgiveness is a personal effort aimed at drumming support for traditional rulership in Nigeria in the interest of harmony and development of society. For sure, I am neither holding brief for the king nor writing on behalf of Uromi. They may have their own approach to the issue.
BEAUTY AND STRENGTH OF TRADITIONAL RULERSHIP
The wisdom of promoting traditional institution for its positive role in society cannot be over- emphasized .The institution of traditional rulership is one of the respected contributions of Africans to world civilization. Whatever it’s worth, Uromi should be allowed to enjoy its blessings. The established method of succession from father to first son as in the case of Benin and Uromi makes it unique, attractive and succession- crisis free in some quarters. We have just witnessed a most colorful coronation ever in Benin of Oba Ewuare 11 depicting our glorious past and determination to forge ahead with great deeds. The dethronement touches on the culture of the people in a negative way.
Culture has been been defined as an embodiment of the totality of shared values of given society and is known to be vital to harmonious development and well being of citizens. Traditional rulers symbolize these values and their actions are bound by cultural checks and balances -no matter how tough they may look on the surface. They are like totem’ that makes great meaning to their members. Take away a people’s king and they feel a high sense of loss or destruction. Traditional rulership is one of the cherished values of Edo people. This includes Uromi. Thus the great worry about the dethronement of their king because what touches the Royal father automatically affects his children.
Generally, Royal fathers are awesome in many respects . Their presence has been awe- inspiring to many members of their kingdom. In spite of the efforts by political elite to cage them over time, their influence on most members of their has remained enormous and impressive. Their aura is astounding and the love and respect for traditional stool by the ordinary citizens had remained strong without waning sign of diminishing. It is a good measure of the high regard for the Royal stool that most successful citizens in all walks of life go to one palace or the other for chieftaincy titles.
One thought that struck me deeply throughout the coronation ceremony of Oba Ewuare 11 was the magnetic attraction of people to their traditional stool and rulers , the effortlessness of winning loyalty, respect etc.The traditional rulers campaign not, have no army and police, no much money etc yet they are able to weld and command so much power, influence, authority, mass follower-ship and down- up support into positive force for the progress and development of their society. They impact positively on their communities.
I think this was what puzzled the British colonial authority most which may explain their resort to indirect rule and the appointment of kings for some territories which did not have such institution before the colonial era.We owe it a duty to ensure the survival of the traditional rulership as an ample evidence of a great civilization in the past. And we can do this by observing the traditional norms and values guiding appointment, coronation , conduct and removal of a traditional ruler from office. The circumstances demand mutual respect based on proper understanding of the historical process that has shaped our affairs till date.
The idea of the masquerade comes handy. It was created by man perform some socio-cultural functions. According to tradition, the masquerades must be well dressed to win the respect and awe necessary to perform well its role in society. The traditional rulers are leaders of immense cultural value and high responsibility. They need to be well packaged to be able to perform his role even if ceremonial and be safeguarded especially from public ridicule.
By Jove, where is the decency in making the king to kneel down begging for forgiveness from one of his daughters in the public? Truly, when a king is forced to kneel before a supposed ‘subject’ to beg for his survival on the throne,then the end of kingship and related traditional values is at hand. The instruction which was laden with ridicule if carried out to the letters could lead to some unintended cultural harm and retardation of development. It is untraditional to do so.
Cultural disharmony will reign to the detriment of the entire society. No self respecting monarch with responsibility of protecting the cultural values of his kingdom would willingly submit to such deliberate act of public ridicule and humiliation.It amounts to de-robing. It is not good for kings to be treated like toys by the government or mere pawns in its chessboard.They are leaders of their communities in their own right. There is need therefore for cultural harmony for the development of the state through a good deal for traditional rulers.

CLASH BETWEEN CULTURAL VALUES AND MODERNITY
To many people, there appears to be some tinge of vindictiveness and hastiness in the final punishment meted on the Uromi monarch. While many have had reasons to believe that the action was politically motivated and delivered as a final punch to humiliate Uromi as a result of political differences, the decision reflects a clash between traditional values and modernity- a struggle between illusion and reality with disharmonious effect on society. It is part of a political dilemma arising from colonial rule in Nigeria dating back to the 19th century. Ever since, there has been subdued rivalry for power between political leaders and traditional rulers at the grass roots. Culturally, the king is commander of his kingdom, but constitutionally political office holder is superior to him.
Kingship is core value of the average citizens of Edo state. It lies deep in their hearts.The king is first and foremost their chosen leader before any politician who in fact is seen as a mere representative of the king in government.The dethronement of a king is not one man’s affair but the entire community’s. It touches on the well being of the community.
Applied to Uromi, the dethronement is a serious injury to a people’s collective pride and well being. Truly, the punishment is not just a one man’s burden and pains but the totality of the people. Kingship is more a community affairs than an individual thing. Thus though deposed , yet the king vividly lives and reigns warmly in the hearts of his ‘subjects’. This is one of the magics of culture.
The query was not meant to enhance kingship in the state but demean it, demonstrate state power in the hands of political elites over traditional rulers, humiliate the king as example to others and by so doing violate the cultural values of his people .For the avoidance of doubt, there is nothing wrong with issuing a query to an individual per se as a way of getting more information on an issue but a section of the one to the king under reference makes it look troubling. There was something sinister about asking a king to either make public apology to one of his daughters or stands deposed.
Don’t get me wrong: leaders including kings can apologize to his people say for policy failure or great injuries caused to a group or an individual. Public outcry can force such apology.There is nothing wrong with a leader courting the support of the led, or a king wooing his members or some members of his community to support a cause .But there is everything wrong with being forced to do so by a higher authority as a condition of survival on the throne.
I sincerely believe that given the glorious history of traditional rulership in Africa, the Kings in Nigeria deserve a better deal than presently obtains. A call for the forgiveness of one king is actually a call for the protection and strengthening of the institution of traditional rulership in Nigeria. The case under reference ought to be treated as a family- affair-a temporary disagreement between a parent and a child.
In keeping with the culture of her people, the daughter dutifully provided a window of opportunity for amicable settlement of the issue by playing things cool but it was rejected by the government which thought otherwise. This is significant and instructive to understanding the true nature of the problem at hand: the alleged assaulted person Ms Betty Irabor showed cultural intelligence and awareness by not pushing the case against her king any longer. The king is the father of his community. Kingship is a community affair.As I observed earlier the end of kingship is in sight when kings are forced to kneel before their ‘subjects’ cap in hand begging for his survival on the throne. It is an abomination of sort. It is awkward and reminiscent of colonial times when kings were deposed at will for their economic and political beliefs. We built the institution and are thus obligated to treat it with respect .
The ordinary man’s understanding and perception of the king may be wrong legally but right traditionally . Such value preference and orientation of the people are important in dealing with traditional rulers. There are laid down steps to be taken to instal and remove the king from the throne outside the government- the modern leviathan and it would be helpful to respect and observe them in the interest of society at large.
EACH SENATORIAL DISTRICT’S DESIRE TO SUCCEED OSHIOMHOLE- NEED TO BUILD TRUST AND SUSTAIN HOPE
The desire of each of the senatorial districts to produce the Governor of the state after Oshiomhole is the root cause of the crisis leading to the dethronement of the Onojie of Uromi. There has been a feeling of distrust, alienation persecution, hatred and disappointment in in the air among many people in Esanland over some unfulfilled hope and unmet expectation.
As it is well known, the average person in Edo Central Senatorial District expected an Ishan person to succeed Oshiomhole as Governor. However the two leading political parties failed to meet such expectation. The argument was that democratic politics was a game of number. Edo central senatorial district was the smallest in terms of number.The zone expected deputy governor to be an Ishan man. While the ruling party spurned the idea, the opposition party- the PDP offered hope by placing an Ishan man from Uromi to run as Deputy Governorship candidate.
This was the setting which presented a knotty dilemma to the king of Uromi. As far as memory goes, an Uromi person has not been nominated to run as Governor or deputy Governor in the state.The 2016 election was the first time ever- a welcome development even if a tall order. And it motivated the king into action. It was tricky if not suicidal situation. If he went the way of the government’s party, the people of Uromi would cast aspersions , reject and abandon him .And where he supports the cause of his son, he would incur the wrath of the political authority in Benin.
Wisely but unfortunately, he chose to go the traditional way of protecting one’s child. Here he was on the side of the people but against the government which had both the yam and knife at hand which it wasted no time in using to its favor to depose the king for having the audacity to pursue a political cause different from its own. Thus many people see the king’s punishment as a political punitive measure to humiliate a group and their king. This is especially more so when the complainant has since dropped the case.
I expected the government to appreciate the difficult situation the king found himself and to demonstrate deeper understanding and greater wisdom in consideration of the delicate issues involved. Like in colonial times, when African kings were unjustly deposed for political and imperial reasons, the king of Uromi today did not violate the cultural norms of his people. He is a victim of hostile party politics that is intolerable of dissenting voices. He was working to advance his people’s collective interest in having a son in Government House as deputy governor on the day in question.It is the way of traditional rulers to protect and advance the interest of his community.
The feeling of exclusion by Esan people can be gleaned for instance from a letter written by a group of Ishan professionals to Mr President on alleged marginalization of their Senatorial zone from the current scheme of things in Edo state. Writing under the name -Esan Progressives Unity Forum, the group observed that based on principle of equity and fair- play, ‘Edo Central ought to produce the next Governor after Adams Oshiomhole from Edo North’.
Consequently the group which urged Mr President ‘not to believe and subscribe to the selfish and the conquest desire of divisive elements’ requested him ‘to appoint an Honorable Minister from Edo Central senatorial district’. It advised against a situation in which the success of a political party was made to be ‘dependent on the ambition of one or few individuals’ ( The Nation 1-11-2016 p38- President Buhari and the Challenge of Equity in Edo State).
I am not a member of the group but I support the view that political elites should work democracy in such a way as to promote the inclusiveness of all citizens at all times. I wrote about such necessity even long before the campaign for the governorship election in Edo state started in earnest.This so because I know that minority fear of perpetual exclusion from power is real. We need to build bridges across the many cultural and political divides in the state.There ought to be limit to internal strife but this is not yet in sight. A starting point is to rally all the traditional rulers to the development efforts of the state.
In all, The king of Uromi did not violate the cultural norms of his society. Thus in a way the decision to depose him may be seen in some quarters as attempt to send message across to cajole the traditional rulers to political submission: Toe our line or get the sack letter. This is neither healthy for democracy itself nor society at large. The need to build trust and allay fear of perpetual exclusion from the apex of governance in the state becomes urgent. Part of the trouble though is the politics of bitterness in vogue in the state.
PERPETUAL LOSER OF POWER AND AUTHORITY
As already alluded history shows that Traditional Rulers have been perpetual net losers of power and authority in Nigeria since the advent of colonial rule in the country. While on the surface, the importance of the institution of traditional rulership is generally acknowledged in Nigeria, it is on deeper search seriously bereft of political power. It remains the greatest casualty of colonialism.
The announcement of the dethronement of the king of Uromi thus reminds us of our unfortunate aspect of our history- a sad history of conquest and fall of great empires and kingdoms in the 19th century. British colonial administration drove a sharp sword of colonialism to pierce through the soul of African culture including traditional rulership which was displaced and sent on a long recess off political power.
It was not an easy ride for the British imperial power . There was a fight. The Kings of that period showed courage, leadership and resistance to external interference. And the tougher and more troublesome ones such as Oba Ovonrame of Benin, King Jaja of Opobo, His Royal highness Ogbidi Okojie1 Onojie of Uromi – the great grand father of the present embattled king of Uromi were sent on exile for their resistance to colonial presence in their domains. The king comes from a solid background of resistance to foreign interference and domination.
There is evidence to show that traditional rulers aided the nationalists struggle for independence in Nigeria .However when independence was won the traditional rulers were outsmarted by the educated political elite who designed a constitution that assigned them only a ceremonial role. It was a continuation of the paralysis of traditional institutions by the colonial authority. While community had laid down procedure for appointing and removing a king, the government arrogated to itself the final power of appointment and by implication dismissal.
Ccc By comparison today’s traditional rulers are therefore mere shadows of their historical forefathers. When Kings were supreme commanders of their domains, the king would not have left the palace to effect his own message, persuade others to his side etc.There is is a designated person for such assignment.He would rather send such a person or an appropriate messenger. But things are no longer at ease with our kings due to the influence of modernity. Otherwise, a woman would not have had the opportunity of altercations with the royal father. But times have changed and the king can now be seen dancing in the open.
Most of our traditional rulers are young, educated, and accomplished professional even before their ascension to the throne. But many of them are faced with conflicting problem of illusion and reality and frustration. On the one hand, there is the illusion of power and on the other the reality of powerlessness and attendant frustration made so by the laws laid by the modern political elite. The situation was created many years ago by colonial authority and sustained by their successor- political elite in Nigeria.
The more they read the history of greatness of their inherited kingdoms, the more they desire to exercise the power associated with it. But the harder they tried here, the harder it becomes for them to find real executive power . Thus the more confused and frustrated they become. This has been so because real political power resides outside the palace with the modern political authority. The Kings cannot understand why power has failed to return to the throne even after independence. It has been a clash between modern and traditional institutions in which the former enjoys perpetual upper hand. It is the menacing effect of both external and internal colonialism over time.
I always imagine with pity the high sense of frustration over loss of power by the traditional rulers of today whose great grand parents enjoyed absolute power over their domains before the advent of colonialism.Their initial contact with the white man was from a position of power and authority as sovereigns of their kingdoms. They set the pace. However due to a combination of factors especially of technological deficiency, they lost their kingdoms and powers to the colonial masters. Now the Kings are administratively responsible today to local government chairmen- one of his ordinary citizens- beg your pardon ‘ subjects’.
Let the modern democratic ruler always remember that today traditional rulers are descendants and occupant of glorious stool deep in tradition and shared cultural values . Even though they are consigned largely to ceremonial role, they are knowledgeable enough to appreciate their birth right as leaders of their respective kingdoms. They know their position in their community,where they ought to be and why they are not there. No matter how we look at it, there are basically two categories of people in a kingdom namely the king on one hand and all others -the rest of society on the other hand.
The king is not like others because he has by his coronation been vested with powers, authority,responsibility etc by his people. I think political authority knows the extra-ordinariness of the king in his domain and hence the deliberate attempt to cage him with some restrictive laws. The king is a leader of a people and his protection and security on the throne is seen as the collective duty of the community. Though we cannot turn back the hands of the clock, we should be able to accord traditional rulers due respect and treat them with dignity no matter their political beliefs and preferences.Though conquered, their forefathers showed courage, leadership and stiff resistance to external interference. A history of greatness demands respect and subtle dealing with today’s monarch by the political class,
MANY REASONS TO FORGIVE
From the foregoing it is clear that there are many reasons to review, forgive and restore the king of Uromi to the throne. The purpose of the dethronement is unclear, season of action most untimely and stated reason for action is not culturally strong enough.For instance a new Oba is on the throne and a new government was about to be inaugurated. Both need harmonious cultural atmosphere to take off.
The Oba of Benin is the chairman of the council of traditional rulers in the state and it is doubtful if the Oba and members of his council were briefed on whatever shortcomings of the Onojie of Uromi. Was the elaborate celebration of our culture during the coronation of the Oba a mockery? Why are we creating a pariah status for some communities in a state where majority citizens pride themselves as as belonging to a common ancestry?Are we saying that all the claims to common ancestry by Edo people are lies and they cannot work together as one? Or modernity and culture cannot see eye to eye? Or that the Uromi members of the APC had sold their king to ridicule and deposition ?
The action can be misconstrued. Are we by the abrupt sack of the Onojie of Uromi sending a message to the new Oba and others in similar position that all that happened recently during the last coronation was mere cosmetic? Is it meant to serve as a reminder that the position of traditional ruler is cheap, ordinary, highly tenuous and dependent on the whims and caprices of some person in high political office or on the stroke of the pen of a civil servant in the way of the colonial authority? Or is it an attempt to send a message of warning across to cajole the traditional rulers to political submission? Are we about witnessing the reenactment of the era of the warrant chiefs as established by colonial office to do their bidding?
The signals are not clear but they are indicative of humiliation of a king and his people for political reasons. It might be convenient to humiliate the traditional rulers in times of peace, but we may need them in dire moment of crisis. The worry is that the strength to do the needful say checking communal crisis may then not be available due to its erosion and demystification of the past.
As they say ‘to err is human and to forgive is divine’. Technically, the king erred by not replying the query issued by the government within the stipulated period. However, this can be culturally excused.Administratively, a query is issued to enable the concerned person opportunity to provide information on certain allegations made against him. Normally it is the issuer of the query that can accept or reject an explanation offered by the queried person. In this connection , the body that can now forgive the king in the interest of collective peace, harmony and development of the state is the government of Edo state.
Officially the king ought to know better by making a timely response to the query especially against the obvious mutual distrust between the then governor and Uromi over cultural and political differences .Had I the opportunity to see the king earlier, I would have urged him to make prompt and appropriate response to the query from the ‘constituted authority’ because as a retired civil servant , I know the adverse implication of non response to a query within the stipulated time. It is an offense itself.
In any case, it is debatable if any response from the king would have been considered good given the politics of bitterness and vengeance that had engulfed the state over time and the obvious foul and determined mood of the government to belittle the Royal Stool of Uromi and its occupant . Political intolerance is the name of the game even in a plural society such as ours. This could be gleaned from the haste with which the decision to depose the king of Uromi was taken. As the decision was more political than cultural , we must plead for political solution with the government of Edo state. After the rain comes sunshine. There is life after elections.
A related reason for plea is the need for post election harmony for accelerated development. Edo state has just concluded a most bitter and divisive gubernatorial election ever which has left her divided on many fronts- cultural, political, social and religious. Generally political struggle and attendant elections are very divisive in effect. But after the elections are won and lost, deliberate efforts must be made to bring society together to live in harmony, peace and unity. This is a primary duty of the political elite. Uromi is important part of the state and cultural crisis associated with the dethronement of its monarch would be counter- productive to harmonious coexistence.
The moment in Edo state after election demands cooperation, unity of purpose and concerted efforts to build and move the state forward. In particular, there is the need to build trust love and friendship across the local governments in the state. Paradoxically, the sad news of the suspension of the king of Uromi by the government of Edo State got to many homes in the morning of the day (6-11-2016 ) ‘a thank you colloquium’ was planned for the comrade governor. The offense was linked to some action during the election of 28 -11-2016 and some security report on the high – handedness of the king. By public announcement the thank you event was supposed to be for all the good peoples of South South geo-political zone including Edo State .
Was Uromi not going to participate? But before one could figure out things came the harsher punishment-the dethronement of the king.This was on the eve of the inaugural ceremony of a new government in the state. These were joyful moments that called for celebration by all Edolites. How would the people of Uromi participate in these important state functions? Is it with love, warm heart or injured feeling?
Some may say that it did not matter whether Uromi participate in it or not . To such people what is most important is the participation of majority elites. In plural society such as ours with multiplicity of ethnic groups such approach is tantamount to an endorsement of the tyranny of the majority and the perpetual emasculation exclusion of the minority groups in the community . Unless tamed, democracy of that variety always tends to exclude minority groups from power and so serve as source of internal friction.
There is the negative effect of the dethronement on the people to consider. It creates disharmonious effect on the community.On the surface it is the king that is being punished. But in reality it is the entire community that is under assault or punishment. This is so because kingship is more a community affair than individual glory or misfortune. The community makes their king and builds his palace and arranges its maintenance including method of coronation, succession, and removal. In Uromi the first son of a king succeeds his father. No dispute and the king is expected to lead, rule, carry out physical and spiritual functions on behalf of the community.
The dethronement thus creates much cultural gap in Uromi today. While the fear is that such cultural gap could erode or retard development efforts, the action against the Uromi monarch would not enrich the texture of development of the state or strengthen its firmament. In the final analysis, Edo state needs harmonious coexistence, all hands on deck and every part of the state to work together in unity for purpose of collective meaningful development. The dethronement is beyond the punishment, misfortune and pains of one man to the entire community. It is the embarrassment and humiliation of the entire Uromi community. What hurts the king equally hurts his people.
ERA OF ABSOLUTE MONARCHY IS GONE BUT KINGSHIP NOT ANACHRONISTIC
There is no doubt that the era of absolute monarch is past gone and any king who feels and behaves that way is living in grandiose illusion. But the kingship institution is not dead or as anachronistic as some would have us believe. It is alive and still has a respectable place in people’s hearts .It makes great meaning to their social reality.For its intrinsic or symbolic value we have chosen to retain it in our society. We therefore have a duty to protect the institution especially from public ridicule bearing in mind that there are cultural ways of dealing with some issues at the grassroots.Unfortunately the problem is bad politics- politics of bitterness in Nigeria.
Those who point to the need for traditional rulers to be politically neutral are either naive or simply miss the point about the reality of life. It has been observed that basically man is a ‘political animal’. Traditional rulers are perhaps even more so because they were born to and raised in power politics. We thus live in denial to expect them to be politically neutral. They are are human and therefore politically conscious like other men.
It is deceitful to ask them to be apolitical or politically neutral when in fact they were baptized into politics from birth. We know that secret political meetings are held with them and nocturnal visits are paid to palaces by politicians seeking for support and coded messages from the king pointing the new political direction and sent across the kingdom. Show me the politician in Nigeria who has not received the support of one traditional ruler or the other and I will show you a liar. Traditional rulers have political preferences. This is well known. The best is to woo them and not harass them to submission
Democracy and party politics offer opportunities for choice. The king may therefore not have the ears of all the people in his domain. This was evident in Uromi where for one reason or the other Betty Irabor disagreed with the king. Similarly ,the government should not expect the support of all the traditional rulers for the ruling party. In the circumstances surrounding elections in Nigeria, it seems unfair to single out a king for punishment over what is common practice by other kings.
In line with democratic culture and practice , we should have the courage and conviction to accept the outcome of behind the scene manipulation in the name of democracy -even if things failed to turn out as planned. It is not politically wise and culturally and morally right to punish a king over election matters especially when that King was helping to advance the interest of one of his children in a race for political office. We have a duty to firm up our traditional stool today.