Traditional rulers from Anambra State, who travelled all the way to Abuja to have a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, were prevented from seeing the president, a report by The Guardian says.
The Presidency, however, did not offer any official reason for rebuffing the monarchs, but sources within the villa attributed it to unfavourable security reports.
According to a source, “one of the monarchs has since October 25, 2019, been taken to the court of Mr Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja by the President Buhari administration on charges of perjury, forgery and conspiracy.”
The source gave the suit number as FHC/ABJ/CR/255/2019, saying that the traditional ruler was “currently on suspension from office by the Anambra State government,” and was also facing civil suits, in addition to security reports against him alleging land grabbing.”
The Guardian further gathered that their efforts towards seeing the president were frustrated by fears that the meeting would have sent a wrong signal on Buhari’s fight against corruption.
The monarchs’ visit, as gathered, was facilitated by a certain controversial Anambra business mogul, who lately has been in a running battle with the state governor, Willie Obiano.
Sources said the billionaire businessman had lobbied to fix the appointment for an official engagement with the President on Friday.
It was also gathered that the traditional rulers were on a mission to accuse Governor Obiano of misappropriating Local Government funds by not allowing the conduct of local government elections since assuming power.
However, the planned meeting, reportedly, did not go do down well with ministers from the South East, particularly Labour Minister, Dr. Chris Ngige, also a former governor of Anambra State.
Ngige was reported to have said, “though I strongly support the All Progressives Congress (APC), to take over my state after the 2021 gubernatorial election, we must respect the sitting governor and I will not support my state and the Igbo people generally to be disgraced for no just cause.”
The Guardian also reported that Ngige accused some of the monarchs of not possessing “personal credibility”, and wondered why just 13 of the over 150 traditional rulers in Anambra State could embark on such visit.
Another South East minister reportedly said the move was a breach of protocol, for the monarchs to seek the president’s attention in such a manner, without presenting for clearance the speech which they planned to read to the president, adding “I can’t imagine Femi Otedola or Mike Adenuga or Aliko Dangote take traditional rulers from his state to Abuja to report their governor as if the governor is a delinquent schoolboy.”
“How can Chief Ndigwe, a barely literate person, pretend to be the traditional ruler of Awka, when Igwe Gibson Nwosu, a former Nigerian Air Force pilot and a graduate of the University of Sokoto, is still alive and on the throne?” queried a top appointee of the Buhari administration who pleaded not to be named.
Although, the businessman was said to be making frantic calls on Friday, to get the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, to arrange the meeting. As at the time of this report, it’s not clear if the CoS had been notified about the engagement.
The traditional rulers were still at Sheraton Hotels and Suites expecting invitation from the Presidency when this report was released.
