Abia State government has described as wicked lies and distortion of facts, the claim in some quarters that it has withdrawn the Staff of Office and Certificate of Recognition issued to His Eminence Dr Eberechukwu Oji as Eze Aro IX of Arochukwu Kingdom.
The government had, on January 26, 2024, issued both the Staff of Office and Certificate of Recognition to Dr Eberechukwu Oji after his selection by the kingmakers as the Eze Aro IX of Arochukwu Kingdom.
Six months later, precisely on July 27, 2024, the ancient kingdom rolled out the drums to celebrate the coronation of His Eminence Dr Eberechukwu Oji, at an epochal programme that drew global attention.
But curiously on July 31, a high court of Abia State sitting at Umunnochi reportedly issued an order directing the government to temporarily withdraw his statutory paraphernalia of office pending the determination of a subsisting lawsuit, a decision his team of lawyers has already taken decisive steps to quash.
Reports said that a few individuals pursuing personal agenda different from the corporate interest of the ancient kingdom have, however, gone to town claiming that the State government has withdrawn the said paraphernalia of office presented to Dr Eberechukwu Oji.
But the Abia State Government has emphatically dismissed the claim.
Speaking at the Government House in Umuahia, Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, debunked the existence of any court order being peddled, slamming reports of the purported removal of the Arochukwu monarch as mere rumour.
Ekeoma emphasized that the government is unaware of any such court order, asserting that the process of coronation, which includes the issuance of the Staff of Office and a Certificate of Recognition, was painstakingly followed in the matter of His Eminence Dr Eberechukwu Oji.
He reiterated that only the government has the authority to recognize and authenticate a king, adding that no unrecognized individual could challenge the legitimacy of Eze Aro’s enthronement.
“The rumors about the king’s removal are completely false and baseless,” Ekeoma said.
“The government follows a stringent process to ensure the legitimacy of any enthronement, and we have not received any court order regarding this matter,” he added.
