Kingmakers face tough task in choosing 22nd Attah Igala
As the kingmakers engage in the traditional rites they still have to unravel a knotty tradition, an admixture of power rotation and quest for natural justice, among the ruling clans. The clans include the Aj’Akwu, Aj’Ocholi, Ame’cho, and Aj’Akogu ruling houses. A palace chief told Sunday Trust last night that “Since the 15th AD, there […]
As the kingmakers engage in the traditional rites they still have to unravel a knotty tradition, an admixture of power rotation and quest for natural justice, among the ruling clans. The clans include the Aj’Akwu, Aj’Ocholi, Ame’cho, and Aj’Akogu ruling houses. A palace chief told Sunday Trust last night that “Since the 15th AD, there has been a zoning and democratic system of appointing Attah Igala, but in 1956, the British Colonialists distorted the chronological process by choosing from the Aj’Akwu clan in the appointment of the immediate past Dr Obaje.”
At the death of His Royal Majesty Atta Ameh Oboni from the British Colonial Divisional Officer, D. J. Muffet in 1956, the officer in charge of the Igala Division, the colonialists, with headquarters in Kaduna, made the policy statement that changed the rotation principle in the appointment of Attah Igala. The statement, as quoted by P.E. Ocholi in his book, The History of the Fifty Years Reign of the Attah Igala, Alhaji Aliyu Ocheja Obaje (1956-2006), said, “Any person wishing to take the office of the Atta Igala must belong to the Atta Igala Ruling family and must be literate so as to give his people good leadership in this modern era.”
The author remarked on the statement as follows: “The policy disqualified most people from the Attah Igala Ruling family because at that point most of them were not literate. As a result, there was confusion and tension in Idah town among the Atta Igala Ruling families… The statement or policy opened the way to some literate, well-educated, powerful Igala politicians in Kaduna to contest for the office of Attah Igala. All of them were not from Attah Igala’s Ruling families. But they re-structured their family genealogical trees to link up with Atta Igala’s Ruling family founder, His Royal Majesty Atta Ayegba Om’Idoko. But their plans failed and they withdrew from the race.”
Therefore, Dr Obaje’s emergence was as a result of the need to have a literate Attah Igala who could work in tandem with the aspirations of the then northern traditional institution and the colonialists. At the time of his appointment as Attah, he had worked in several government institutions and had become an instructor at the Institute of Administration in Zaria. He lectured there from 1952 to 1956.
Going by tradition, only a direct son of an Attah Igala can become the paramount ruler of the Igala people. A grandson of an Attah cannot be crowned Attah Igala. What this means is that only two ruling clans may qualify to compete for the exalted position in this dispensation. The Aj’Akogu and Aj’Ame’cho ruling houses have grand children. Two other persons who would have qualified for the position from these ruling houses have passed on. They included the late Shuaibu Amaga, who was promoted Ejeh of Ofu, from Aj’Akogu. Another person who would have been in contention was Opaluwa Ogwuche. At the death of Attah Ameh Oboni in 1956, Opaluwa would have succeeded him, but for the colonial masters’ insistence that only an educated person shall be considered for that position. With this the family of Ame’cho lost the golden opportunity to produce an Attah.
The implication of this is that, effectively, two ruling houses, who have no direct sons of any of the previous Attah Igala – Ame’cho and Aj’Akogu – will not be eligible to contest for the throne. Of course, this is subject to any amendment to the rules by kingmakers and, perhaps, political interventions by Kogi State or the Federal Governments.
As it stands, contenders are emerging from the ruling houses of Aj’Ocholi (where Am’Oboni who died in 1956 emerged from) and Aj’Akwu (of the immediate past Attah, Dr Obaje). From the Aj’Ocholi ruling house, there are two main contenders – the direct sons of Am’Oboni. They include Prince Michael Idakwo Ameh and Prince Arome Ameh. Prince Michael was an Air Force Officer, who later retired as a Deputy Director of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in Abuja. At present, he lives in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital. On the other hand, Prince Arome is a former Chairman of Idah Local Government Area.
From the Aj’Akwu ruling house, there are Prince Alex Adejoh Obaje, a former journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Also, in contention is an elder brother of Alex, Prince Abdulkadir (Kabbah) Aliyu Obaje. He got his middle name, Kabbah, from the foray of the late Attah in the Kabbah Native Authority, between 1944 and 1945. Abdulkadir, his first child was born in Kabbah. This first child is a favourite for his father’s throne.
Who will then be the next Attah? No one is very sure as at now. A palace chief said, “Going by the rotation tradition in choosing Attah Igala and the demand that only a direct son of an Attah can ascend the throne, only two clans now qualify. But we have to be very careful. What are we going to do with the other two ruling houses? Should they be sidelined forever? I think there may be some kind of political consideration in this matter. The kingmakers may have to tamper with the rules, at least, to allow for justice. I think the law might be amended.”
As the royal family and the whole of Kogi State conduct the 8th Day prayer for the late Attah tomorrow, the Achadu and other kingmakers will be putting their heads together to tackle this dilemma. They may be lucky. Time is on their side. With the Secretary of the Igala Area Traditional Council in charge of the affairs of the institution, the kingmakers can devote the next three months to the task of producing the next paramount ruler of the Igala Kingdom.