Attah Igala race not for political manipulations, Ojuju Agbadufu warns

Kogi Socio-cultural group, Ojuju Agbadufu has warned those waiting in the wings to hijack Attah Igala traditional stool for political reasons to stay clear.

President in Council of the group, Chris Ukwenya handed out the warning, saying that Igala tradition has long and well documented history of how and when one occupies the office of Attah of Igala Kingdom.

Ojuju Agbadufu’s statement to CAPITAL POST on Thursday was ocassioned by misinformation making the round that some persons have been penciled to succeed the late Dr Idakwo Ameh Oboni II who joined his ancestors on 30th August, 2020.

The group said, it was incumbent upon it to make a categorical statement that the seat of “Attah Igala”, is not a political one, hence, the race among the ruling houses could only be determined by the King makers.

He called those trying to interlope and rewrite ignoble history for the Igala Kingdom to excuse themselves as the Kingdom which has succeeded intruders some centuries ago cannot at this 21st century be derailed by those he called ‘very desperate politicians’ for surreptitious reasons.

The group lamented that Igala Kingdom has lost everything politically and cannot afford to sit supine watching its sacred tradition being messed, with regard to the successor to the throne.

“Igala land is very strategic to the nation and one could see that the Kingdom has lost everything. It becomes a taboo that we all fold our hands seeing intruders manipulating what concerns us.

“There are set of laws that guide the selection of Attah Igala and in obeying those laws, there will sanity and peace in Igala land”, the group insisted.

According to the group, Igala Kingdom cannot go through aberration of politically installed Attah Igala at the detriment of the product of “Igala Area Traditional Council (Modification of Native Law and Customs) Order, 2015, Procedure and Regulation for the ascension to the Stool of the Attah Igala Act”.

They appealed to the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello to reason along the time tested traditionally way of picking the Attah Igala, noting that the repeat of the 1956 scenario may not fly this time around.

The group further maintained that the Attah Igala to be would irrespective of his religious bias work with other traditional rulers around the country to maintain peace, noting that external influence by oligarchs from other Kingdoms might spill anarchy.

Ojuju Agbadufu urged people of different religious faith to be steadfast in prayers for the peace and progress of Igala land at this trying times.