EBENEZER ADUROKIYA writes on the controversy surrounding the Ologbotsere dynasty and the current Olu of Warri kingdom in Delta State that culminated in the derobing of Chief Ayirimi Emami as Ologbotsere.
The animosity between the Olu of Warri and the Ologbotsere descendants last weekend took a fresh dimension over the pronounced suspension and later derobing of Chief Ayirimi Emami as Ologbotsere shortly after the 21st Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, ascended the throne of his forebears on August 21, 2021.
Recall that the Olu of Warri had, on October 5, 2021, formally announced the derobing of Chief Emami at a ceremony held in the palace after the latter’s refusal to appear in the palace to revalidate his chieftaincy title as demanded by the Itsekiri custom and tradition following the installation of a new Olu.
Genesis of the crisis
The choice of Chief Emami, a business tycoon and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, as the fourth Ologbotsere by the late Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli, did not go without its controversies. Though it is common knowledge that the selection of the Ologbotsere is the prerogative of the Ologbotsere descendants, a mass protest was mounted against the choice of Chief Emami by His Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli in 2017 in spite of he being the choice by the dynasty. The resistance was on alleged immaturity.
An Itsekiri scholar, Dr Jackson Ireyefoju, had, however, condemned and denounced the protest and resentment in a publication thus: “In over five century existence of the Itsekiri monarchy, only three Ologbotseres have been installed and the common procedure is that the descendants of Ologbotsere reserve the right to choose and recommend who they want to the Olu. It has never been the right of the general Itsekiri masses to choose who becomes Ologbotsere.”
History has it that the first Ologbotsere was Ojoye Eyinminsanren (circa 1770-1794), followed by Ojoye Jonathan Omayone Mayuku (1955-1982), and Ojoye O. N. Rewane (1985-1987) as the third. Ojoye Ayiri Emami (2017 – 2021), who ascended the throne in spite of the protestations, became the fourth Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom and perhaps the youngest.
Emami’s replacement came on April 16, 2023, as the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, conferred it on Ojoye Oma Eyewoma who became the fifth Ologbotsere at a general assembly of all Itsekiri sons and daughters held at the Aghofen (palace) in Warri.
Deposed Ologbotsere’s ‘sins’
Many Itsekiri sons and daughters who opposed the exaltation of Chief Emami as Ologbotsere are claiming to be justified by his actions and inactions during and after the reign of Ogiame Ikenwoli between 2015 and 2020 when he passed. Notable chiefs of the kingdom were said to have distanced themselves from the palace as Emami was alleged to be the traditional prime minister disrespecting fellow chiefs.
Besides after the sudden transition of the Ogiame Ikenwoli on December 22, 2020, Chief Emami was accused of deliberately delaying the announcement of the demise of the king and the subsequent commencement of the succession process as expected of the Ologbotsere, traditionally. It was rumoured that he was eyeing the throne while others accused him of angling for a preferred prince to occupy the throne. Emami denied all the allegations.
His grouse, during an exclusive interview with Nigerian Tribune in Warri, was that the process for the selection of a new Olu must follow the extant custom and tradition of the throne.
In some cases thereafter, Emami’s ‘sins’ were viewed as two. During the succession process at the outset, he reportedly tore into shreds the nomination paper (of the current Olu) presented to him by the kingmakers, that is, the Ginuwa 1 Ruling House. This was seen as a sacrilegious affront to the kingmakers and their choice.
In addition, Emami insisted that a provision of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Edict of 1979, which states that a prospective Olu must have Itsekiri and Edo blood flowing in him, must be strictly followed. However, the then Prince ‘Tsola Emiko, who is now the Olu of Warri, had a challenge in this area. His mother was Yoruba: Olori Gladys Emiko (wife of Olu Atuwatse II, Emiko’s father) from Ile-Ife.
Seeing that the Ginuwa 1 Ruling House and the Olu’s Advisory Council were making inroads into actualising the emergence of Prince Emiko as Olu, Emami headed to the court to challenge the Thursday, May 27, 2021 press conference that announced the date of installation of Emiko as the next Olu.
The announcement, it will be recalled, was made by the Iyatsere of Warri Kingdom and acting chairman of the Olu’s Advisory Council, Chief Johnson Amatserunleghe. The Iyatsere had told journalists that the formal proclamation of Emiko as the successor to the throne was made at Ode-Itsekiri on April 5, 2021, the same day the passage of Ogiame Ikenwoli was formally announced.
Iyatsere had claimed during the conference that Prince Emiko’s emergence came “after a rigorous process, which included a painstaking search within and among the descendants of the last three Olus as required by tradition, custom and extant laws.”
In spite of this claim, Emami headed to a Warri High Court to seek the legal interpretation of the amended 1979 Olu of Warri Chieftaincy Edict which some Itsekiri termed a ‘declaration.’ He also sought the court’s order of an interlocutory injunction to “restrain the defendants either by themselves, agents, privies and/or whomsoever from crowning any person as the Olu of Warri Kingdom, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.”
Top of his ‘sins’ was his alleged involvement in the sudden disappearance of the 410-year-old ancient crown of the Olu of Warri shortly after the passage of Ogiame Ikenwoli which caused the kingdom an embarrassment. Emami vehemently denied his involvement urging the throne to look inwards. The case of the stolen crown, which has not been recovered since 2021, is still in the court in Warri.
Emami’s stance since 2021
The controversy continued ahead of August 21, 2021 scheduled for the coronation ceremony of Prince Tsola Emiko as the 21st Olu of Warri following the court litigation and its attendant disenchantment. Emami, who had been placed on suspension then, was said to be against the exercise, adding that it would be an exercise in futility. He allegedly vowed not to recognise the new Olu even after the coronation.
Several interventions from sons and daughters outside the kingdom to reverse the stance were reportedly rebuffed by Chief Emami who insisted the selection of Prince Tsola Emiko was in error.
Chief Mene told Nigerian Tribune a week after coronation in 2021 how Ogiame Atuwatse III had called on Emami to brief him on the way back to honour among his people which he allegedly rejected.
“Before the coronation, some people led him (Emami) and a few others to the then Omooba (Olu-designate) and the advice he gave to him personally was ‘you have offended the generality of the Itsekiri people. Because you can see the mood of anger, frustration and then the relief that had come when remedial steps started to be taken. And people have been saying they don’t want to see you anymore, you need to apologise to the nation. Write and publish an apology to say ‘you’re sorry,’ the way you acted, you didn’t know this was going to be the result. It has gone out of your hands, out of your control and you need to be forgiven. When you do that, tension will come down.
“The crown and the accessories were stolen. The Olu told him he was not accusing him of stealing the artifacts, but that he had a network of people he (Emami) could talk to, to ensure that they were returned. ‘Do these two things and people’s tension will come down and they will be able to take another look at you.’
“He left the place, thankful at first, but later denied ever being told that. He said he was never told to do that. Even if you were never told to do that and if you have your own senses, should anybody teach you to do that?”
Olu of Warri and sack of Ologbotsere
Speaking during a chat some time before the coronation in 2021, the Egogo of Warri Kingdom, Chief Ariyo Robinson, described the Ologbotsere as dispensable, while justifying the decision to bypass him in the crowning of the new Olu of Warri.
According to the lawyer, history has shown that only one of the four Ologbotsere has crowned the king. Why is that?
“The first Olu of Warri, Prince Ginuwa was the son of Olua, the Oba of Benin. When he left Benin Kingdom in 1480 with 70 chiefs, the Ologbotsere was not part of that. The most senior chief in the Warri kingdom originally was the Iyatsere, and if you like the model in Benin, the most senior chief is the Iyatsere.
“Now, we have had 18 Iyatsere in Warri Kingdom, whereas we have had 20 kings and four Ologbotsere. Ologbotsere was only a recent development. Let us not interpret our custom and tradition to the extent that Ologbotsere is indispensable,” he said.
Speaking on the powers of the Olu of Warri, Robinson said, “When there is a new king, each chief will have to go back and surrender their beads before the king in the form of symbolic handover. The king will now decide who and who is forming his cabinet. As a matter of fact, none of the chiefs is sure of going back and that is why it was possible for Atuwatse II to have lived and reigned without an Ologbotsere (in place).”
On the litigation instituted by Chief Emami, the learned silk said, “There is an adage in Itsekiri that whenever a king is about to be crowned, the society is usually divided into two; there is the class of ‘Yes’ and ‘No’, and that has always been the trend over the years. The moment a king emerges, the people collapse their differences.”
Unfortunately, this appears not to be the case as the litigation against the throne has continued to linger almost two years after the crowning of Ogiame Atuwatse III.
Recent efforts to resolve the logjam
The 21st Olu of Warri was said to have extended the olive branch severally through committees headed by former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Godwin Ebosa, Michael Diden (Ejele), and most recently Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, to Emami.
Recently, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, was at the Olu of Warri palace and, with the permission of the Ogiame, he visited Emami in his home on a reconciliation move to unite the Itsekiri nation.
The Olu, in his approach, has acknowledged Emami as loved by his people for his in-depth knowledge of Itsekiri culture, ancestral religion and worldview.
A most recent effort was his call in a statement on March 30 on him (Emami) to meet him at Aghofen (palace) last weekend.
The public announcement, which went viral, came shortly after the Olu had offered prayers for the peace, progress and prosperity of Warri Kingdom at the sacred Ogbowuru Hall at Ode-Itsekiri, the traditional headquarters of the Itsekiri nation. The Olu also, thereafter, sent an invite to all sons and daughters of Itsekiri for a general assembly to hold at the palace on Sunday, April 16.
Reports had it that Emami and the Ologbotsere dynasty, and Itsekiri sons and daughters honoured the Olu’s invite to the palace on Friday, Saturday and Sunday April 14, 15 and 16, 2023. Among prominent attendees at the palace were the immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr Uduaghan, two-term president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ayo Oritsejafor; Honourables Temi Harriman, Daniel Reyenieju, David Tonwe, Ekpoto Ekpoto, Prince Emma Okotie-Eboh, Prince Eroro Emiko and Prince Yemi Emiko, among others.
The Olu of Warri, in the presence of the Itsekiri Assembly, regaled Emami as a great son of Iwereland who is constantly in pursuit of the progress of his people just as he reaffirmed his love for him and his contributions to the Itsekiri nation.
The 38-year-old monarch spoke to his people, thus:
“I am happy that there is a large number of Ologbotsere present here. All of us sitting here, when you have erred and know there are consequences coming. Every human being deserves a second chance that they can do it better.
“Monarchy is a reflection of how God operates. Before I went to Ode Itsekiri, I had already determined that we are going to do this, but when God started giving pressure that this must be done so that all Itsekiri will see with their eyes and hear, so the message is not lost whatsoever, even till last night.
“In trying to figure out how we finally bring this matter to a close, I had a dream that brings divine solution to the matter. I will share the dream most likely for the first and the last time.
“In that dream, I sat on the throne; the door opened and Ayiri Emami walked in, there is a witness box. Ayiri sat on the witness box; soon after, three men walked in – two men I recognised them because I have seen their faces in real life, have seen their photos, then late Emami Eyeku. I must say that your papa no dey let me rest. I have seen him too many times in my dream since I was in Idaneken. In this instance, he walked in, dressed as a chief, the man who walked behind him was late O.N Rewane, the third man was the late Mayuku. I could not recognise Mayuku, but I saw his name on his chest.
“Eyeku, even though he was a chief, knelt down and greeted me the way Itsekiri do. Rewane and Mayuku greeted me the way chiefs normally do. After the greetings, both men went to Ayiri, Mayuku took the bead from his neck, Rewane took the bead from his hand and they put the beads on the table, they went back to Ayiri, lifted him up and inserted him in his father. At this time, Ayiri and his father became one person. He was inside his father, the two chiefs held him and brought him to me. Emami senior and Emami junior are one .The room opened and the entire Ologbotsere family came behind. That was the dream that I revealed to everybody on Friday.
“It happened again on Saturday. Eyeku came with Ikenwoli, while I was in Ode Itsekiri. Ikenwoli said that what he did with Ayiri privately, do it properly for all Itsekiris to see. Last night, Eyeku came pleading for his son and said, ‘if you want my son to serve you well, give him my title.’ I looked back and said ‘no problem.’
“This is divine, I want everybody here to understand that none of you is better than Ayiri. I have seen what our people can do when their interest is threatened. You say ‘Ogiame’ and go behind and sponsor nonsense; you have seen this repeatedly. None of you here is better than this man; the actions that I take, I am answerable to God. I have been fighting you for two years and I am tired of fighting.
“The position of Ologbotsere is what concerns everybody here. I want to assure you that I will not humiliate the Ologbotsere family and the title that is there to hold for me. The Ologbotsere title remains the most senior title in Warri kingdom
“I will not allow Ayiri Emami to leave feeling assaulted; he is under my protection as Ogiame. Because of his father that has not given me space for two years and he has specifically told me what to do and I believe that is what God wants me to do. For those who may want to laugh at Ayiri, let me give you the final part of the message and I believe this is what Ikenwoli was saying too.
“I believe many people were saying that Ayiri was not yet mature for the title. Perhaps, it was done in a rush or prematurely, another problem with my people is that they don’t want to farm, farming will teach you life lessons, you can transplant a tree and give it a chance to firmly mature so that it can do what it is created to do, the lesson here is a lesson of patience. Atuwatse II was not misled to make Ayiri a chief. Ikenwoli too, however, hastily he may have been, knew what he saw in Ayiri, I want all of you to stand and celebrate Ayiri.
“I forgive in my heart and Ayiri is welcome back to this palace; however, before I offer him as directed by his father, I have prayed over this matter and in bringing solution to it, I don’t want Itsekiri to fight. He remains a member of the Ologbotsere and in the fullness of time, that is the message I want Ayiri to consider, I have given you a chance for redemption to demonstrate to all Itsekiris without pride that you will work for the interest of Itsekiri at all levels.
“If you accept, I will use all I have to support you in the places you go to. This is my sermon for today. We are going into a new administration. Itsekiri is too small a tribe to be divided.”
A new Ologbotsere emerges amid controversy
The Olu had reportedly offered Emami the Eyeku title of his late father as directed in the surreal encounters he had with him. He, therefore, withdrew the Ologbotsere chieftaincy beads and Uda (sword) from Ayiri Emami who had refused the option of taking his late father’s title – Eyeku.
The event that followed on Sunday was the conferment of the Ologbotsere title on former Vice-President of ConOil Producing Ltd, Chief Oma Eyewuoma, amid pomp at the venue. It was gathered that the 79-year-old had earlier eyed the title when the late Ikenwoli was scouting for an Ologbotsere between 2015 and 2017, but was rejected for some reasons.
The 47-year-old Emami rejected the seeming lesser title of his late father.
Addressing journalists and a crowd of supporters, most of whom are of the Ologbotsere descendants, at his Egbokodo-Itsekiri home in Warri South Local Government Area on Sunday, the billionaire oil and gas merchant disclosed with evidence that the beads and sword of the Ologbotsere title he submitted before Ogiame at the palace were fake while the original beads and sword authenticating him as the subsisting and bonafide Ologbotsere are still in his possession. He said he did so because he had had a premonition of what would happen at the palace.
Chief Emami, who spoke in Itsekiri language, stated that: “People that said I should honour the invitation are more than those that said I shouldn’t honour it. Those that advised me to go to the palace, said if I go, there will be peace in Itsekiri land and I hold issues concerning Itsekiri in high esteem.
“When he (the king) called me, he told me of the dream he had about Ikenwoli (the transited Olu of Warri) and what Ikenwoli did.
“Anytime the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, meets me, he always advised me to go and see the Olu of Warri. He told me to forget about ancestors and go to the king, which was exactly what I did. Even Oba of Benin spoke about the issue.
“The wife of Ologbotsere is the eyes of Ologbotsere. My wife called me and advised that I should not carry my original beads and sword to the palace today. These three beads: bead of Atuwatse II, my late father and that of Ikenwoli, are my inheritance, I did not buy them. Have you seen me with one bead before?”
Spokesperson of the Ologbotsere descendants, Mr Alex Eyengho, also addressed journalists on the development. Earlier in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, he had insisted that the Ologbotsere title, besides being the heritage of the dynasty, is a lifetime title which only death can halt when conferred on anyone chosen by the collective decision of the descendants.
Speaking to journalists at Emami’s home, Eyengho said the conferment of the Ologbotsere title on a new fellow “was part of the script that has been on, written and rewritten, this is a sub plot of the ongoing script that has been on for about two years.”
On the irretrievable Ologbotsere title from a holder until death, Eyengho said: “I speak on behalf of the Ologbotsere descendants worldwide that once you give a title of Ologbotsere, it is till death. You don’t take it back. The current Olu of Warri did not give that title to Ayiri. It was the 20th Warri monarch, Ogiame Ikenwoli, that gave him the title.
“So, Ayiri will cease being the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom when he is dead and gone. That is the position of the family. If any Ologbotsere title is to be given, it must come from the family on the request from the family by the Olu. As it stands today, Ayiri Emami is still the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom. Whatever happened there at the palace is just part of a script.”
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