The Ayiri Emami, has insisted that he remains the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom as the beads and sword he submitted to the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse 111 during a supposed reconciliation meeting and deposition in his palace on Sunday were fake.
Emami said this was because he had an inkling of what will happen during the reconciliation meeting through a dream and he was prepared.
He added that as a result, he did not go to the meeting with the real beads given to him when he was installed as the Ologbotsere by the late Ogiame Atuwatse 11 and Ogiame Ikenwoli.
As such, Emami said he still remains the Ologbotsere as the title is held till death by anyone it is given to.
“As at today, I am still the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom,” Emami said through through his spokesman, Mr Alex Eyengho, on Sunday in Warri.
The Olu of Warri had formally invited Ayiri and the Ologbotsere family on Sunday to his palace for a reconciliation meeting.
Speaking at what happened at the supposed reconciliation meeting, he said, “What happened at the palace today is part of the script that has been ongoing in the past two years or thereabout.
“After meeting with the Ologbotsere family, I had the premonition that something like this will happen.
“I can say it loud and clear that the beads and sword I submitted at the palace are fake. I suspected that something like this will happen and I prepared myself. The real beads and sword are here with me.”‘
“I speak on behalf of the Ologbotsere descendants worldwide that when someone is given the title of Ologbotsere, it is till death.
“As at today, I am still the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom,” he said.
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Emami, who is a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Delta, said that several reconciliatory committees had been constituted to resolve the issue and all to no avail.
He noted that the last committee that led to the formal invitation was headed by Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Founder, Word of Life Bible Church.
Emami quoted Atuwatse 111 to have said in the invitation notice that all Ologbotsere chiefs should bring their beads to the palace and specifically himself.
“Atuwatse 111 said that he had dreams on two separate occasions and in one of the dreams, my father asked him to give back to me the Ologbotsere title.
“In the second dream, Ikenwoli told him that what he did in the secret, he should help him to do it in the open by reconfirming Emami as the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom,” he quoted Atuwatse 111 as saying.
Emami said that having held the title of Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom, he could not be cajoled with a lesser title of Eyela that was held by his father in the interest of peace.
“You cannot move forward and start going backward in the interest of peace as such peace can be that of the graveyard and we do not want that,” he said.
Earlier, Atuwatse 111 at the palace before hundreds of sons and daughters of the Warri Kingdom said that he was not interested in what would divide the Iwere (Itsekiri) nation.
Ogiame noted that he had had several dreams on the issues hence the move to reconcile with the Ologbotsere family in the interest peace and development of Itsekiri nation.
He told the people that the Ologbotsere title remained the highest title in the Warri kingdom.
Credit: NAN
