As part of measures to resolve the lingering chieftaincy selection in Wako community of Kwali Area Council, the FCT Area Council Service Secretariat has given the stakeholders one week ultimatum to come up for the final selection.
Recall that after the death of HRH. Alhji. Ibrahim Usman, Etsu Mi Wako, about seven months ago, three ruling houses of Kaura-Etso, Wunu-Ogo and Wunu-Aga are laying claim to the throne, hence the intervention of the FCT administration to ensure that the selection process of a new chief was conducted in a transparent manner.
Austine Elemue
S.A Media To FCT Minister of State in a statement on Thursday said
the Acting Secretary Area Council Service Secretariat, Mrs. Omolola Olanipekun, warned all parties involved in the selection process to ensure that the process was concluded within a week, adding that failure to do so, the administration would be forced to take decision on the facts presented.
Olanipekun, also stated that the administration would do everything possible to ensure that peace reign in Wako community before and after the emergence of a new traditional ruler, stressing that the one week grace was to avoid rancour amongst the ruling families in view of the prevailing situation in the country.
According to her, “Today has been fixed to do what is expected of us by the office of the Honourable Minister of State FCT. We are to do what is supposed to be done, that is, to conduct elections in the presence of the King makers and all other critical stakeholders so that we can see a transparent exercise and communicate back to the Honourable Minister that her directive has been carried out.
“But unfortunately, the situation we are seeing here now is that, only one faction honoured our invitation. In view of that fact, we are giving a grace period of one week to engage in consultations with other stakeholders. We don’t intend to make this process to linger on, because it is not for the interest of anybody.
“But to avoid rancour and in view of the present situation in the country, what we will do is to extend this exercise by one week. And if they fail to honour our invitation at the expiration of one week, then we will know the right action to take. I want to at this point appreciate those who have honoured our invitation, but unfortunately the two factions that are not here, we need to find out so we will not give room to speculations. We want to appeal to you to bear with us for the grace of one more time, to bring everybody on board”.
On his part, the secretary to the king makers, Alhaji. Adamu Usman, the Magaji Wako, expressed concerns over the prolonged delay in the selection of a new chief, just as he tasked the administration to go into the books and bring out the “White Paper” with a view to resolving the issue.
Usman, however, pledged the readiness of the king makers to come up with a transparent and peaceful process that would lead to the emergence of a new chief in Wako community, adding that the laws provided a limited time frame for the selection of a chief.
“I don’t understand why the other factions are undermining the functions of the Area Council Service Secretariat. The department of Chieftaincy should go into the books and bring out the White Paper so that we can put an end to this matter. You know our chief has died about seven months ago and nothing has been done,” he lamented.
