A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief J.S Okutepa has issued a stern warning to the new Kogi State governor, Usman Ododo, against disregarding the revered Igala monarch, Attah Matthew Alaji Opaluwa, in the order of protocol observed at the inaugural event yesterday.
Recall that Governor Usman Ododo was alleged to have disrecognized Attah Igala, who is the most senior king and president of the Kogi State traditional council, during his inauguration. He instead chose to recognize the lesser chiefs which is against the laid down rules of protocols.
According to an insider, the act was said to have embarrassed Vice President Kashim Shetima and the anger was written over Shetima and the Attah Igala.
He said despite the repeated efforts to draw his attention to the oversight, the Governor seemed to have ignored it.
It took the frantic efforts of the governor’s handlers, including ex-Governor Bello to send delegations to convince the governor to change his mind and recognise the monarch.
The source further stated that the action may widen the mutual mistrust between the ethnic groups in the state who had been living in peace until the emergence of former governor Yahaya Bello.
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Bello, at the twilight of his administration, had sacked three traditional rulers perceived to be at variance with his leadership style.
In an open letter on Saturday, Okutepa accused Governor Ododo of “unpardonable blunders”, claiming he deliberately failed to acknowledge the Attah Igala according to protocol during his inaugural address earlier in the day.
The SAN described it as a “sacrilegious and disgraceful” snub that risks awakening the anger of the Igala people who, he stated, are the majority tribe in the state.
Cautioning the governor against further show of disrespect, Okutepa said the maturity displayed by Igalas under the past administration is not a licence for contempt towards their revered traditional stool.
He asserted that the stool of Attah Igala is a source of formidable pride for the Igala people due to its antiquity.
The strongly worded letter has been seen as an early confrontation between the new governor, who hails from Ebira, the second largest tribe, and the dominant Igala ethnic group.
Okutepa (SAN) also drew a link between Governor Ododo’s alleged slight and his predecessor’s poor treatment of Igalas in his eight years at the helm.
There are already fears that the development could foster ethnic tension barely 24 hours after Governor Ododo’s swearing-in.
