Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State said the certificate with which the former Chairman, Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya was appointed as the traditional ruler in the state, had been withdrawn.
He, therefore, argued that since he had been dethroned, the monarch should step aside for another serving traditional ruler to take his place at the conference.
The governor stated this in a statement signed by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Chinedu Offor and distributed to journalists at the National Conference in Abuja.
He said Eze Ilomuanya was nominated as a delegate to the confab on the platform of traditional rulers.
Offor said the governor had appointed Eze Ohiri to replace Ilomuanya, adding that the Federal Government should recall the dethroned monarch from the conference since he came on the platform of the traditional rulers.
Okorocha said the clarification became imperative following an observation made by a South-East delegate representing Forum of former Speakers, Mr. Anayo Nnebe, that the National Conference should stop further intervention of state governments in traditional institutions across the country.
Offor added that before the latest move to dethrone the Orlu monarch, the governor had cautioned him against parading himself as Chairman of Imo Council of Traditional Rulers due to offences he allegedly committed.
Offor added that his boss’ earlier stance of not officially communicating the monarch’s dethronement was to avoid embarrassing him as the traditional ruler.
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