IDOMA ELDERS & YOUTH GROUPS REJECT PASTOR ELAIGWU AS OCH’IDOMA : CITING ABERRATIONS IN SELECTION PROCESS NOT INLINE WITH THRONE ETHICS

__By Mason Kunte Ejembi_
06 | 01 | 2022

It is no news that the paramount ruler of the Idoma people Occupying the southern Benue trough has gone on a hunting expedition, a phrase used to describe the demise of a king while they prepare for another.

According to the laws of the throne as established by the 22 district chiefs who are custodians of culture in all idomaland including the Igedes, once a king dies and the appropriate rituals are done over a period, they gather and select a new king from amongst themselves to become the Och’Idoma. The ceremony is usually calm and largely on consensus without negative reactions until recently, when the supposed new king was announced without the participations of the 22 district chiefs.

Youths went out with placards to warn the participants of the dangers associated with electing a king without the chiefs, but the roles of Idoma representatives in Benue state House of Assembly during the 2016 era already gave the culture of the people away as the seating Assembly modelled the Benue chieftaincy laws according to the selection ways of Tor Tiv (king of Tivs), which is far different from the Idoma people who are of Kwararafa Origin.

Notable elders like Senator Ameh Ebute, General EJiga, General Lawrence Onoja, Senator David Mark, Audu Ogbe, Chief Steven Lawani, Avm Toni Adokwu etc and other youth and socio cultural groups rejected the emergence of Pastor John Elaigwu as the och’Idoma Elect.

If the government continues and impose the pastor on the good people of Idoma, the altercations would be a half prepared king and the consequences are bad.

Some of the rituals with grave consequences are the un-beading of the late king, The elders are asking if the appropriate rituals were done by the 22 districts who bore the king two beads each on the day he ascend he swore at Ikpaje to be upright and just. The question is who cut the beads from the hands of the late king? Did he visit Ikpaje with the 22 district chiefs to un-bead the king?

Furthermore, the elders are asking since the 22 district heads were not allowed to choose the new paramount ruler, will they be a beading ritual? Because it is the beads that signifies his power over other chiefs. It is believed that, if a king visits a district without the beads of that district amongst others on his wrist, he will not be regarded as their king, hence the Question, will he be a complete Agaba Idu?

In conclusion, the elders are not against the emergency of an Agatu person or a pastor as king but the processes altered the culture of the peace loving people of Idoma.