Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has urged the royal fathers protesting against the new Traditional Rulers Council (TRC) law to tow the path of peace.
He urged them to withdraw the lawsuit they instituted against the state government so that his attempt to have an in-depth discussion on the matter and to find a lasting solution would not be subjudice.
Recall that things went haywire among the royal fathers since the state House of Assembly passed the new TRC law Cap 155, and the governor assented to it.
The new law was aimed at giving life presidency to the Oku Ibom Ibibio, the largest ethnic group in the state, disregarding the longstanding rotational provision among all the paramount rulers in the state.
Worried by the heat and tension the new law is generating, the governor convened a meeting with the TRC at the Exco Chambers on Tuesday and urged them to drop sentiments and discuss objectively the way forward.
He also condemned the royal fathers’ action in turning down his invitations for peace meetings in the past, describing it as not just an act of insubordination “but may set a precedent for an unending spiral of insubordination across the leadership spectrum.”
The statement read in parts, “As the Governor of this state, I cannot and will not allow strife to persist, and if you check, that it has persisted, is not of my making.
“I invited all of you to a meeting the morning of September 23, 2023. The aim of the meeting was to offer me an opportunity to listen to the pain points of those affected and for us to collectively reach a decision favourable to all. I waited for hours without the affected Paramount Rulers showing up for the meeting. Had that meeting been held, all of these tensions would not have arisen in the first place.
“I am here informing you of my readiness to have this conversation with you and to walk with you on the path that must lead to the destination of peace and unity. But there is, however, an existing impediment- the lawsuit filed on this matter. With the pendency of this lawsuit, any in-depth discussion or intervention therein will be subjudice. Therefore, I urge you to remove this legal obstacle, cease all media and politically motivated media wars and return here let us amicably resolve this issue to the satisfaction of all.”
