Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has dissolved the Anambra Traditional Rulers Council, saying the present composition of the council was in violation of the law establishing it.
Mr Soludo announced this on Tuesday during a meeting with traditional rulers in the state, according to a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Christian Aburime.
Mr Aburime said the governor, at the meeting which was attended by 94 traditional rulers in the state, addressed the controversy that greeted the suspension of a traditional ruler in the state for conferring a chieftaincy title on a Nigerian senator.
Mr Soludo, according to the statement, also spoke on the reason for querying two other traditional rulers in the state for similar offence.
He subsequently announced the reinstatement of the suspended traditional ruler and pardon for the two other monarchs.
“In the course of the discussion that followed, it was observed that the body operating as the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council as constituted was unknown to the law as the State Government has observed that the body was improperly constituted in violation of the provision of Section 2 (F) of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers (Amendment) Law, 2020,” Mr Aburime said.
The governor’s spokesperson said the section provides that the council should be composed of a chairperson, two deputy chairpersons, and one member each from the 21 local government areas of the state – all to be appointed by the governor.
“The above provision of the law therefore mandates that the Traditional Rulers Council shall be constituted with not more than 36 members.
“The record of the State, however, shows that the body currently acting as the Traditional Rulers Council is composed of 52 persons in utter violation of the law, the implication of which is that the body is not the Traditional Rulers Council known to law,” Mr Aburime said.
“To that extent, that body as presently constituted cannot make any valid decisions or function legally; and could not have done so in the light of the provisions of the law.”
Term of office
Mr Aburime said Section 30 of the Traditional Rulers Law 2007 and 2020 as amended provides that each member shall be appointed to the council for a term of four years only and shall be eligible for appointment for second and final term of four years.
“However, the state government has observed that most members of the said body as presently constituted have held their positions beyond the eight years limit in violation of the law.
“The cumulative effect of the above is that the present body cannot legally function as the Traditional Rulers Council as it is made up of persons who are legally disabled from being members of the council. Unfortunately, this body has been functioning as the Traditional Rulers Council of Anambra State for several years,” he said.
Mr Aburime said, “in order to purge the state of this illegality,” Mr Soludo “suggested” that all traditional rulers in the state shall become members of the council rather than a select few.
The governor’s spokesperson claimed that the monarchs accepted the governor’s suggestions.
He said the governor told the traditional rulers that for the suggestions to work out, there was a need for amendment of the relevant sections of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Law.
“Consequently, it was agreed that a committee made up of five traditional rulers, plus officers of government to urgently meet to consider the amendment of the relevant sections and any other section of the traditional rulers law deemed pertinent for a review.
“As quickly as the law is amended there shall be a meeting of traditional rulers for the governor to formally inaugurate the council so that it can function in strict compliance with the Law,” Mr Aburime stated.
The statement did not indicate if the council will continue to function while the law establishing it was being amended.
Connecting the dots
The latest development came days after the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council, attacked Governor Soludo for suspending the monarch.
The traditional rulers, in a letter signed by its chairperson, Alfred Achebe, said Mr Soludo’s administration was being disrespectful, with the way it was “maltreating” and suspending some traditional rulers.
The monarchs accused the governor of “dehumanising and deprecating” traditional institution in the state.
Another group, the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, had also attacked the governor over the “maltreatment” of the traditional rulers.
Goodluck Ibem, the president-general of the group, in a statement on Friday in Awka, described Governor Soludo’s treatment of traditional institutions as “dictatorial and anti-democratic.”
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