Recently, both the traditional and online media have been awash with stories on the purported enthronement of Prof. Epiphany Chigbogu Azinge, SAN, as the 14th Asagba of Asaba. Investigations conducted by Daily Query reveal that the attempt to hoist Azinge as the 14th Asagba of Asaba has practically divided Asaba, a town of noble indigenes and proud tradition, into two parts.
The first part is a group led by the Odogwu and Onihe consisting of a fraction of members of the Asagba-in-Council and a handful of sympathisers who support Prof. Epiphany Azinge and used their traditional positions to persuade the Ochendo to foist him on the revered Asagba stool. On the other side, are a legion of citizens of diverse persuasions who claim that the Regent acted outside the clear stipulations of the law and without regard to Asaba tradition. They insist that the right thing must be done; that succession to the throne must be conducted in strict compliance with the law regulating succession to the throne; that a legitimate Asagba must emerge in a dignified and lawful manner through the front door rather than through the back window of the small room.
The BIG QUERY of the Week is: Why are the good people of Ahaba rejecting the purported installation of Prof. Azinge as the 14th Asagba of Asaba?
UNITED FOR A WORTHY SUCCESSOR
Asaba citizens are united in their belief that succession to the Asagba throne is guided by tradition and law. In several public averments, concerned Asaba Indigenes of various groups have been unequivocal that the emergence of an Asagba will be by law, will follow due process, and will accord with the customs and tradition of Asaba and its people. They claim that The Declaration made under Section 8 of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Edict, 1979 stating the customary law regulating succession to the title of the Asagba of Asaba which establishes the guidelines for succession to the stool must be fully complied with. The specific stipulations of law are as follows:
(i) That “when a vacancy occurs, the eldest male patrilineal descendant (Okpala – Nwaisi, or Diokpa) of the appropriate quarter summons or presides over a meeting of all the adult males of the quarter for the purpose of nominating, by a consensus or simple majority, a candidate or candidates for selection”.
(ii) That upon the completion of (i) above, the Diokpa “presents the candidate or candidates to the Ochendo-Asagba, who in turn summons a joint meeting of the whole Oturaza of the five quarters and the male adults and the Omu of Asaba to approve or disapprove of the candidate where there is only one, and otherwise to select a candidate and their decision shall be final …”
(iii) That the nominee shall be “a direct descendant of the ancestral founder of Asaba (Nnebisi)”.
THINGS FALL APART
However, the citizens who have expressed concerns point to the many violations of the rules to include:
(a). The Okpala-isi and the Ochendo-Asagba did not comply with the Declaration in (i) and (ii) above. The Okpala-isi did not summon a meeting of “all adult males of the quarter for the purpose of nominating, by a consensus or simple majority, a candidate or candidates for selection”. He knowingly and unlawfully disenfranchised all adult males of the quarter (Ugbomanta) and prevented them from exercising their lawful mandate in selecting the candidate(s) of their choice.
(b). The failure by the Okpala-isi to comply with the clear stipulations of the law regulating succession to the Asagba stool is a fundamental breach that delegitimized Azinge’s emergence since he was not selected by the “adult males of the quarter” as mandated by the law. It is claimed that the mandate to select the candidate(s) at Ugbomanta is vested solely on all “adult males of Ugbomanta” by the 1979 Edict. This mandate is absolute and inviolable!
(c). Despite the above stark defilement of the law by the Okpala-isi Ugbomanta, the Ochendo Asagba accepted the two candidates as presented. The Ochendo then proceeded to present the two candidates not to a joint meeting of the whole Oturaza of the five quarters and the male adults and the Omu of Asaba (the Asagba-in-Council) to approve or disapprove of the candidate as required by law, but to an Emergency Meeting of the Asagba-in-Council under the false pretence that the meeting was called “for an update on the nomination and selection of the 14th Asagba of Asaba”. The Ochendo is said to have misled the good people of Asaba to assume that they were attending an emergency meeting to receive an update on the succession exercise. His action was described as deceptive and a betrayal of the sacred trust of the People.
SCION OF NNEBISI
The group of concerned citizens of Asaba further noted that the verification of Lineage or genealogy is one of the most important requirements of the selection process, recognized by law and by tradition. Paragraph 3(i) of the Asagba-in-Council’s guidelines of the 7th July 2024, underscored its importance when it stated that the aspirants “must verifiably trace their male lineage without any breakage to Ugboma, the second grandson of Nnebisi.” Regrettably, this vital requirement was discarded in the selection of the Candidate by Okpala-isi Ugbomanta.
FIRST BORN MALE
It is alleged that in the history of Asaba, the Asagba title had never been held by an incumbent who was not the oldest surviving male within his immediate family. In Asaba tradition, genealogy is traced to the headship of family units based on age and seniority. It is never traced from the bottom or from the youngest in the family. It disclosed that the purported Asagba-designate has three surviving biological older brothers.
Azinge was purported to have admitted in his biography authored by Ifeoha Azikiwe, titled “AZINGE, Born to Serve”, that he indeed has older brothers and would not succumb to any pressure to contest for Asagbaship. He was quoted to have retorted to a question on whether he will put himself up for consideration for the Asagba throne in his life time thus, “No, unfortunately, No. And I say this because I have had time to reflect on the possibilities and probabilities, and I don’t think that it is something that I am attracted to, one way or the other. It is an exalted office; it is a position of trust and responsibility. It would have been an honour for one to ascend to the throne of our ancestors if the opportunity presents itself”, but I don’t think that I am excited about it, not now, not in the future, and for many reasons: One, my religion and the level of my spirituality is not such that will enable me to engage with such an office. The incompatibility is so obvious to me in many ways than one.
Secondly, I feel that I will derive more joy serving my community in various other ways, especially as I am doing now as the President General of Asaba Development Union, still keeping in touch with contemporary reality as the case may be. So, here and there, I feel that it wouldn’t be in my interest and in the interest of my family, so to speak, to go for such a position if the opportunity comes.
Thirdly, I am a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. My wife is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Any attempt to engage in royal obligations will mean almost both of us forfeiting our recognition and preferment in that regard, because it means that she has to return back to Asaba, and she has to surrender every other thing, and I will also surrender every other thing. I don’t think that is the type of lifestyle we think we have mapped out for ourselves, coming to the point we are now.
Lastly, I wouldn’t also want a situation where, as the last son in a family of four boys now, we used to be five, suddenly my elders in the family will be paying honour to me. I don’t know how culture will look at it, but I don’t think it is something I am favourably disposed to, going forward.”
It is indeed unfathomable that Prof. Epiphany Azinge, a candidate who has three older biological brothers and whose lineage to the founder of Asaba has not been customarily established, is now being touted as the 14th Asagba of Asaba. His purported selection is said to be in contravention of the extant laws. This situation is believed to be abominable and without precedence in Asaba succession history. Going by custom once genealogy is traced to a family, it is birthed on the first biological male offspring, that is the oldfavourablyItvis further claimed, that for a younger male sibling to contemplate usurpation, the older sibling or siblings shall not only find ways of disappearing from the earth but must also be given full and complete traditional burial(s). Abdication of older siblings are not known or recognised in matters of this nature in Asaba. A younger sibling who aspires to the sacred throne of Asagba shall unalive his older sibling or siblings and accord them full and complete traditional burial to ascend the throne unencumbered. It is the general belief that no proper Asaba citizen who is a true descendant of Nnebisi would contemplate this reckless perfidy regardless of the size of his ego or the inordinacy of his ambition.
THE EDICT, THE LAW
Evidently, the ascension to the throne of the Asagba of Asaba is predicated on the “Declaration made under section 8 of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Edict, 1979 stating the Customary Law Regulating Succession To The Title of the Asagba of Asaba by the defunct Bendel State, also applicable to Delta State. In other words, this Declaration remains the extant guidelines for succession to the Asagbaship stool. Whereas, there was a consensus of opinion in Asaba following the demise of the immediate past Asagba, that the next Asagba after him, who will be the 14th Asagba of Asaba must also be educated, accomplished and be a man of integrity and character, it was not anticipated that the process of selection would be manipulated and undermined in such an atrocious manner. The enthusiasm shown by the people of the town in welcoming yet another accomplished son of the town as the Asagba waned following intentional acts of commission and omission that were carefully choreographed in the build up to all actions that should be taken before the selection of the Asagba. And it continued to unfold even up to the point of selecting and announcing an Asagba-designate.
Very worrisome was the fact that even before the Asagbaship stool was declared officially vacant and the next quarter to produce the next Asagba duly informed, some aspirant(s) had beaten the gun by declaring their interest in the stool and carried on as if it was a political contest. The process sadly became commercialised with a lot of “wheeling and dealing”. As the days went by, it became evident that the aforesaid guidelines in the Declaration which should be the ‘Rule Book’, as it were observed in the breach. For instance, in the letter to the Diokpa Ugbomanta by the Asagba-in-Council informing him that he should initiate action in presenting the next candidate(s) for the Asagbaship for consideration, the Council went on to direct the Diokpa Ugbomanta to throw the selection open to the villages in the Quarter. This directive has no place in the Declaration and no precedence of such meddlesomeness was cited. Diokpa Ugbomanta should not have been tele-guided on how to handle the matter along with the Diokpas of the villages in the quarter whose responsibility it is to produce the next candidate(s) for the Asagbaship.
EFFORTS TO RIGHT THE WRONG
Our findings indicate that several efforts made to draw the attention of the Okpala-Nwaisi Ugbomanta and the Ochendo-Asagba to these issues for redress were ignored. The letters written to the Ochendo-Asagba included: (a). letters dated 27 July 2024, 3rd August 2024, 13 August 2024, and 15 August by the Diokpa, Umuonisha to the Ochendo-Asagba who received the letters, responded by way of threats and refused to address the issues raised therein (b). letters dated 21st July 2024, 3rd August 2024, and 7th August 2024 signed by concerned citizens from all the five Quarters of Asaba drawing attention to the flaws in the process and the breaches of law and tradition were ignored and consigned to the dustbin by the Ochendo and Asagba-in-Council (c). Various opinions expressed by well-meaning sons and daughters of Asaba on the need to thread with caution and avoid compromising the entire process were largely ignored.
THE WAY OUT
Multiple questions have been shaped in Court on the perceived violations enumerated above. These questions await the response of the Asagba, the Ochendo, and his younger brother to whom delegated powers were curiously delegated. They must all, at the minimum, enter appearance and make statements on Oath in their own Defence.
Many believe that it will serve the collective interest of Asaba and its people for the gladiators to sheath their sword. Azinge is being expected to lead this charge for peace by withdrawing honourably from what has been aptly termed a fool’s errand. The common belief is that the Asagba throne is embroiled in controversy due to his failure to harken to the priceless admonition of the oldest man in Ugbomanta, Kandum (Ogbueshi) Dr. Luke Enenmo. The esteemed 95-years-old Enenmo was said to have once issued a portentous warning: “Azinge has been Godly Knighted by the Church and the Pope and that Asaba gods can never put another crown on your head to conflict with the one you already have. And you cannot put down the crown on your head to pursue the traditional stool for another crown”. He further cautioned that “you are the 4th son of your worthy parents. You have 3 elder brothers: Ogbueshi Kanene, Ogbueshi Jonny and Pastor Kenneth and you want to allow your senior brothers of the same parents to come and be bowing to you as Asagba of Asaba? What do you want to prove?”
We .. will not allow that. THEREFORE, YOU CAN NEVER BE ASAGBA OF ASABA.
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