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BY YOUNG ERHIURHORO
The title of this short piece is aptly and witty as the royal stool of the “Odion’Rode” of Evwreni kingdom is a highly respected and key traditional institution in the entire kingdom. At the moment, the Evwreni kingdom has four major communities which includes Uneni, Okpawha, Urevwe and lastly, Unenurhie. The clan head that is today recognized and gazetted by the Delta state government is the Ovie of Evwreni kingdom. And the present Ovie of the kingdom is HRM, Oghenekevwe Kumane, Eruvwedede 3. The seat of the traditional ruler is located at Urevwe community where the Ovie exercises his traditional rulership and authority from everyday.
According to the traditional settings and historical arrangements of the Evwreni kingdom, after the Ovie as the clan head, the next in traditional hierarchy is the Odion’Rode of Evwreni kingdom. This is again followed by the Odion’Esiri and other traditional leaders according to seniority status across the four major communities. However, the title of the Odion’Rode of Evwreni kingdom is a subject of litigation and controversy between Unenurhie and Okpawha communities for so many years without final settlement or agreement by the two communities. Both communities have continued to claim ownership and originality of this traditional stool without recognition or acceptance from the traditional council based on historical records and documents available.
More importantly, Unenurhie community is a distinct and peculiar community in Evwreni kingdom. This is as a result of its topographical location, customs and traditions. These are different from the ones of the Evwreni people, even though they are located in the same kingdom. According to the oral history of the Unenurhie people, the Odion’Rode of Evwreni kingdom which usually comes from Unenurhie community was once recognized as the clan head in time past. This was however shortchanged in the 60s by some Evwreni political leaders and replaced by the Ovie which is today recognized as the clan head of the kingdom by the Delta state government. In order to carry along and to also create a sense of belonging to the Unenurhie people, the Odion’Rode of Evwreni kingdom was accepted from the Unenurhie community and recognized as the second in traditional hierarchy in the Evwreni traditional council and next to the Ovie.
However, this arrangement purportedly put together by the Ovie traditional council didn’t go down well with the Okpawha people. They decisively argued that, the Okpawha community were the original producers of the Odion’Rode title and not the Unenurhie community as allegedly claimed by them. Again, the Okpawha community argued that, they were the rightful clan head and not the Ovie as recognized by the state government today. These series of literal arguments between the Okpawha people and Unenurhie people and Okpawha people and Urevwe people later climaxed to many legal battles in the Nigerian law courts.
In fact, this was one of the reasons adduced to the internal crisis that rocked the Evwreni kingdom between 1999 and 2000. It was also the reason that led to the gruesome murder of the late HRM, Owin Kumane, Eruvwedede 2, the Ovie of Evwreni kingdom during the said crisis. Till this day, the Okpawha people never accepted the simple fact that, the Ovie is the traditionally and legally recognized clan head of the entire kingdom. No doubt, the Okpawha community usually sees the rest of the Evwreni kingdom as betrayals and they live at longer heads when it comes to traditional matters in the community. In this way, the Okpawha leaders find it difficult to pay their allegiance and obedience to the Ovie of Evwreni kingdom because they didn’t accept the Ovie as their traditional ruler. This has destroyed the cordiality and peaceful co-existence between the Okpawha people and rest of the Evwreni kingdom. At every little confrontation between them, it always end in internal unrest. This is still the situation in the kingdom till today. It hasn’t been resolved, even from the law courts or the state government.
Unfortunately, the relationship between Unenurhie and Okpawha communities became worse as a result of the ownership of the Odion’Rode title. Even till today, the Okpawha people are still claiming and bearing the Odion’Rode of Evwreni kingdom. They never accepted the Unenurhie people as the true owners and original producers of the Odion’Rode title in the kingdom. Since the Okpawha people stood firmly to continuously threaten the Ovie as the one and only recognized clan head of the kingdom, the Ovie traditional council now took it as a grievous challenge by throwing their support behind the Unenurhie people as the original producers and true owners of the Odion’Rode title. This now worsened the grievances of the Okpawha leaders against the Ovie and his traditional council. In order to reciprocate this kind gesture from the Ovie and his traditional council to the Unenurhie people, the Unenurhie community then stood as witness in the litigation in the law courts that, the Ovie was the gazetted and recognized clan head of the kingdom and not the Odion’Rode as claimed by the Okpawha people. The Unenurhie people again accepted that, the Odion’Rode is next to the Ovie in traditional authority and second in command in traditional hierarchy in Evwreni kingdom.
However, from these presentations by the Unenurhie people on this clan head struggle, the Okpawha people now perceived the Unenurhie people as enemies and betrayals. They accused the Unenurhie people of selling their traditional rights to the Ovie as the clan head since the Odion’Rode couldn’t be recognized by the state government as the second gazetted clan head in the kingdom to receive a staff of office, royalties and other entitlements. This is because the state government doesn’t recognize and accept two traditional rulers from the same kingdom as clan heads. He would only serve as a mere “substitute” or “subordinate” without royalties or government recognition as the Evwreni kingdom continue to exist. This then prompted the Unenurhie people to take a new step by changing the title of the traditional stool to Odion’Rode of Unenurhie community as a way to seek for their separate kingdom from the Delta state government.
In fact, from 2022 to 2024 under the leadership of Mr. Peter Maison, as the president-general of Unenurhie community, they wrote several applications to the state ministry of justice and chieftaincy affairs, ministry of women affairs and social development and office of the deputy governor, seeking for their own separate and independent kingdom. As soon as the information broke out that Unenurhie community was seeking for their separate kingdom, the Ovie and his traditional council didn’t take it lightly again. They fought this move by the Unenurhie people fiercely and they make sure they vehemently crush every of its possible means to get it realized. They wrote several petitions to the Nigeria Police and to those state ministries of how Unenurhie leaders were perpetuating divisive measures to tear Evwreni kingdom apart. Till today, some of those petitions are still pending in the police stations. It’s likely that dream of Unenurhie becoming their own kingdom is now thwarted and jeopardized by the Evwreni people.
Conclusively, Unenurhie community turned around and peacefully reconciled with the Ovie of Evwreni kingdom in order for them to have a place to fall back to in Evwreni traditional matters. It was during this reconciliation meeting, that the title of the Odion’Rode was again reversed from the Odion’Rode of Unenurhie community to the Odion’Rode of Evwreni kingdom. This was happily accepted by the Ovie and other traditional leaders in the kingdom. They now held to the former traditional arrangement of the Unenurhie people, producing the Odion’Rode of Evwreni kingdom while the Okpawha people are to produce the Odion’Esiri as the third in the traditional hierarchy in the kingdom. Yet, this arrangement was not accepted and recognized by the Okpawha community. Therefore, on this leadership tussle, the Ovie and the Unenurhie people are on one side while the Okpawha people are on their own side, looking at each other with one eye closed. The entire Evwreni kingdom is today sitting on the tripod of leadership crisis which can definitely burst out at anytime one of the legs of the tripod is broken by those concerned leaders in the kingdom that are thirsty for power at all cost. This is why it’s expedient for the Delta state government to wade into the matter now and resolve it amicably to avoid another round of internal crisis in Evwreni kingdom. Delay is dangerous!
Young Erhiurhoro;Kjc,
Former Secretary-General of Unenurhie community.
