Idoma Council Nullifies Chieftaincy Title Given to Tinubu

A controversy is brewing in Benue State. The Idoma Area Traditional Council (IATC) has declared null and void the chieftaincy title recently conferred on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the Igede Agba yam festival.

                                 

The council insists the titles, presented in Oju Local Government Area, carry no legal or traditional weight.

At the annual Igede Agba yam celebration, the Adirahu of Igede, HRH CP (Rtd.) Oga Ero, honored several individuals, including President Tinubu.

• The title was accepted on the president’s behalf by Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

• Other dignitaries and celebrities also received comparable honors.

• The event took place on Saturday, September 6, 2025, in Oju LGA.

In a strongly worded statement titled “Nullification of Purported Chieftaincy Titles Conferred by the Igede Traditional Council,” IATC Secretary Mr. Adegbe Uloko made the council’s position clear:

• The conferments directly violated a September 2, 2025 pronouncement suspending all chieftaincy titles under its authority.

• The titles are “null, void, and of no legal, customary, or traditional effect.”

• The IATC reaffirmed itself as the sole body recognized by the Idoma nation’s government.

The council also warned that any defiance of its directive is unlawful.

Explaining its decision, the IATC said the move was to safeguard the integrity of traditional institutions in Benue State.

The statement read:
“This pronouncement is made to safeguard the integrity of traditional institutions in Benue State, to uphold due process and to maintain peace, unity, and order within the Idoma Area Traditional Council.”

Just a week earlier, the council had suspended all conferments within its jurisdiction pending restructuring and reforms.