Chairman of Delta North Traditional Rulers Forum, Obi (Prof.) Chike Edozien, has described persons behind the formation of Anioma Progressives Union to displace Anioma Congress as coup plotters. 

Edozien, who spoke to journalists yesterday after a meeting of the forum held in Asaba, the Delta State capital, said: “We know that any people who cannot live together cannot make progress or move forward.” 
 
He said traditional rulers have their meetings under the aegis of Anioma Traditional Rulers’ Forum, but “jointly we have the Anioma Congress, which was set up over the years, for us to survive and progress.”

Edozien said: “The common people, the political class, all our intelligent people meet together to deal with political and other issues, and meet on the auspices of the Anioma Congress under the leadership of Chief Benjamin Elue. 

“When necessary, the whole body – the traditional rulers and the congress meet together, and that constitutes the Anioma People’s Forum. So, these have been in existence and still, in existence, there is no vacuum. But now, those saying that the Anioma Congress does not exist are trying to carry out coup, and there is no room for that.”

He stressed that Anioma Traditional Rulers Forum has no double leadership, the only recognised leader of the Forum being the Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Prof) Chike Edozien. 

On 2023 gubernatorial election in the state, the monarch said: “First, we called a meeting to address the issues because other ethnic groups are coming out to say they want to contest for the governor and they want support. 

“When they come, we will call a meeting to address them. For now, we are open to aspirants for consultation but we will see how things develop, and then we will know what to do because we supported Okowa on the ground of rotation. 

“If Isoko come now and insist that it is their turn, what do we tell them? This is open for discussion, he said.

With time, we will take a position on zoning when we might have had a consultation with our political class because some of the issues have not be discussed,” he said.