RE: DISCLAIMER ON PURPORTED SELECTION OF OKUMAGBE ELECT
I have been inundated with phone calls and messages regarding reports of a purported selection of an Okumagbe elect at an event said to have taken place yesterday, 31 January 2026, in Igiode, at the residence of the Oghie Okugbe, Chief Oseseamhe.
It has further been alleged that Senator Francis Alimikhena was “elected” as the Okumagbe elect at this gathering. This claim is entirely unfounded and laughable. The Okumagbe Stool is not for sale and certainly not for the highest bidder.
Nigeria operates a constitutional democracy anchored on the rule of law, due process, and respect for lawful governmental authority. It is therefore baffling and embarrassing that anyone would contemplate conducting an election to fill the vacant Okumagbe stool when the Local Government Council, which is statutorily saddled with managing such processes, had formally communicated the postponement of the election to all relevant stakeholders of the Agiode Ruling House and the general public.
Following the official postponement of the election by the Local Government Council on 30 January 2026, and in strict adherence to due process and obedience to lawful directives, I returned to my base early yesterday morning with the clear understanding that the selection process had been suspended pending the announcement of a new date by the Council.
As a candidate vying for the Okumagbe stool, I was therefore shocked to learn that a purported election of the Okumagbe was said to have taken place on 31 January 2026.
For the avoidance of doubt, no election to fill the vacant Okumagbe stool has taken place. The authority empowered to announce the date of the election, supervise and monitor the process, and transmit the outcome to the State Government had unequivocally announced the postponement of the exercise. Any gathering that may have occurred in Igiode on the said date could only have been a social event and certainly not an election for the Okumagbe of Wanno.
Discerning Agiode Ruling House people, Wanno Clan people and the general public are hereby urged to disregard any claims or representations suggesting otherwise.
I urge all to remain calm while we await the new date for the selection process in line with our custom, tradition and extant laws of our land.
Signed:
Dr Francis Omoh
