Warri high chief Ayiri Emani rejects deposition
Chief Ayiri Emani has rejected his deposition as the Ologbosetsere (traditional prime minister) of Warri kingdom.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Emani said that the Warri monarch, Ogiame Atuwatse III, had invited him and his family to the palace to reconcile their differences.
He also said the monarch requested that chiefs from his lineage submit their beads. Emani said he had had a premonition that he would be deposed and, therefore, he decided to submit a fake bead and sword (his authority of office).
The statement reads: “What happened at the palace today is part of the script that has been ongoing in the past two years or thereabout.
“After meeting with the Ologbotsere family, I had the premonition that something like this would happen.
“I can say it loud and clear that the beads and sword I submitted at the palace are fake. I suspected that something like this would happen, and I prepared myself. The real beads and sword are here with me.”
He said the beads were given to him by Ogiame Atuwatse II and Ogiame Ikenwoli.
“I speak on behalf of the Ologbotsere descendants worldwide that when someone is given the title of Ologbotsere, it is till death. As of today, I am still the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom,” added Mr Emami.
mami, said several reconciliatory committees were constituted to resolve the issue, but did not yield a positive outcome.
He stated that the last committee that led to the formal invitation was headed by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, the founder of the Word of Life Bible Church.
“Atuwatse III said that he had dreams on two separate occasions, and in one of the dreams, my father asked him to give back to me the Ologbotsere title. In the second dream, Ikenwoli told him that what he did in secret, he should help him to do it in the open by reconfirming Emami as the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom.
Emami equally rejected Eyela, which he said is a lesser title.
“You cannot move forward and start going backwards in the interest of peace as such peace can be that of the graveyard, and we do not want that.”
(NAN)
