Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A prominent socio-cultural organisation in Bayelsa State, the Ogbia Renaissance (OR) has called on the state government and the traditional institution to sanction a Second Class Chief, King Amatele Jonny Turner, for partisanship.
Turner had recently through his lawyers, Emmanuel Ochokwunu, petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu, alleging threat to his life by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson.
Chairman of the group, Mr Obhioru Mitanoni, said that Turner acted contrary to Section 6, Cap C4 of the Bayelsa State Chieftaincy law when he accompanied a politician to pick a gubernatorial form at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja.
Mitanoni said that Turner’s recent activities were unbecoming of the expected conduct of a traditional ruler and should be sanctioned by the state government and the relevant traditional institutions with supervisory responsibilities over the conduct and operations of traditional rulers in the state.
The group lamented that Turner was ‘crying wolf where there was none’ as it is public knowledge that violence and killings have no place in politics of Dickson.
Mitanoni stressed that the state governor owes the state a responsibility to enforce the laws guiding the conduct and operations of traditional rulers in the state by applying the relevant laws of the land.
He called on the members of the public to disregard the mischievous campaign of calumny being peddled against the governor by a man who has benefited the most from the government.
He stressed that the governor should not allow loyalty to friendship and sentiments to restrain himself from ensuring implementation of the relevant laws guiding the operations of the traditional institutions especially the traditional rulers in the state.
He warned that Turner’s recent pastime of ingratitude to the efforts of the governor and unrestrained subversive acts could only expose him further to the political tigers who are known very well to him.