Indigenes of the Ikpeshi/Egbigere Clan in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State have appealed to Governor Monday Okpebholo to facilitate wider, inclusive consultations to resolve an escalating traditional leadership dispute threatening peace in the community.
​The appeal was made during a press briefing on Thursday, October 29, in Benin City, the Edo State capital, where stakeholders expressed deep concern over recent government interventions and directives regarding the traditional stool.
​Speaking on behalf of the community, Ms. Peggy Agbo, Coordinator of the Concerned Indigenes of Ikpeshi/Egbigere Clan, urged the state government to prioritize dialogue, due process, and communal harmony. She questioned the rationale behind recent administrative shifts after a period of relative calm in the region.
​”What has changed? Having reviewed the disputes over traditional leadership in the clan and taken a decision in the interest of peace, what new development has led to the purported removal of the regent, who has brought peace and tranquillity to the Ikpeshi/Egbigere Clan? We want peace, not war,” Agbo stated during the conference.
​The roots of the current friction stem from a series of conflicting governmental actions over the past year. On November 13, 2025, the Edo State Government intervened in the chieftaincy crisis by removing Lukman Momodu from office and appointing HRH King Nicholas Saliu Odamah III as regent to restore order and stability across the clan.
​However, the tranquility was disrupted on October 20, 2026, when a new directive issued through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) reportedly terminated Odamah III’s regency and reinstated Lukman Momodu.
The sudden reversal sparked renewed tension among elders and community members, prompting representatives to formally petition the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (Zone 5), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Edo State Commissioner of Police, and the State Executive Council, while also seeking court intervention to maintain the status quo.
​Responding to the allegations, the Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, maintained that the administration acted strictly within legal bounds. “What I can say on the matter is that the state government took the decision based on the court decision,” Afegbua explained.
​Meanwhile, Lukman Momodu-Odamah, the claimant to the traditional stool, defended the government’s latest action as alignment with historical precedent.
He stated that succession to the traditional stool strictly follows a 1979 chieftaincy declaration, which mandates inheritance along the male line from father to son, asserting that the state government’s decision aligns with applicable customary tradition.
​Despite these conflicting stances, community stakeholders continue to urge Governor Okpebholo, whom they described as a leader committed to peaceful resolution, to temporarily suspend the latest directive and convene a broad-based stakeholder dialogue to ensure lasting unity and stability across Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.
