ýýMonday Okpebholo, governor of Edo State, has terminated the appointment of Nicholas Odamah as Regent of Ikpeshi/Egbegere Clan in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the state, barely 11 months after his appointment.
ýBusinessDay reports that the governor had, on November 13, 2025, removed Zaiki Luckman Momodu Odamah III, the erstwhile traditional ruler of the clan and appointed Nicholas Odamah as regent.
ýA statement issued at the time by Umar Musa Ikhilor, the Secretary to the State Government, said the removal of Luckman Momodu Odamah III followed a review of the circumstances surrounding the ongoing disputes over traditional leadership in the clan and kingdom.
ýIkhilor added that the action was taken in the interest of peace, stability and due process.
ýHe subsequently announced the appointment of Nicholas Odamah as regent of Ikpeshi/Egbegere Clan with immediate effect, pending the determination of the rightful occupant of the throne.
ýThe statement said the regent was expected to oversee the affairs of the clan pending further decisions.
ýHe was also mandated to oversee the clan’s affairs in a custodial capacity and ensure full compliance with government directives.
ýHowever, more than 11 months after the appointment, the state government, in a letter dated October 20, 2026, announced the termination of Nicholas Odamah’s appointment and the restoration of Zaiki Luckman Momodu Odamah III as the traditional ruler of Ikpeshi/Egbegere Clan.
ýThe letter, signed by Ikhilor, said the decision followed appeals from concerned indigenes of Akoko-Edo and the subsequent confirmation that the dispute over traditional leadership in the clan was already before a competent court of law.
ýAccording to the letter, the government decided to review and rescind its earlier decision in view of these developments.
ýThe statement read in part: ‘Consequently, the State Government hereby terminates the appointment of Mr Nicholas Odamah as Regent of Ikpeshi/Egbegere Clan and restores the status quo ante his appointment.
ý’All security agencies have been duly notified of this development and directed to maintain peace, law and order, as well as ensure the protection of lives and property in the affected communities.
ý’The Edo State Government remains committed to upholding fairness, justice and the rule of law, while preserving the state’s traditional institutions and values’, he said
ýThe government urged all parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and allow the judicial process to run its course.
ýIt would be recalled that the removed traditional ruler, Zaiki Luckman Odamah III, had petitioned Governor Monday Okpebholo and the Edo State House of Assembly, urging them not to confirm Roland Otaru as a commissioner in the state cabinet over alleged bias in the chieftaincy dispute.
ýOtaru, the current Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, is an indigene of the clan.
ýIn a petition addressed to the governor on August 29, 2025, the monarch argued that confirming Otaru would effectively place him in a position to judge his own case.
ýOdamah III alleged that Otaru had opposed his ascension to the throne following the death of his father on September 11, 2011.
ýAccording to him, ‘Otaru has, since the death of my father, HRH Momodu Odamah II, been working tirelessly against my nomination, traditional installation, and eventual appointment by the state government as a successor to my father.
ý’From 2012 till date, Otaru has been acting and continues to act as counsel to the Akoko-Edo traditional council that unsuccessfully challenged my appointment.
ý’To this end, he unsuccessfully opposed the suit I filed before the High Court, Igarra, which now has a pending appeal at the Supreme Court.
ý’In addition, in December 2020, Otaru, who is from the Emegbe family of Igun kindred, raised one Joseph Shuru Uduagbamen from his kindred and sought to impose him as the Zaiki of the Ikpeshi/Egbigere Clan. To carry out this plot, they filed a case before the Igarra High Court to set aside the gazette/declaration regulating the appointment of the traditional ruler.
ý’The suit was dismissed on March 16, 2022, and the Emegbe family proceeded to the Court of Appeal, Benin. From 2012 to date, Otaru has consistently opposed the position of the Edo State Government, the Attorney-General of Edo State, and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in all court cases concerning my ascension to the throne, from the High Court to the Court of Appeal and now the Supreme Court.
ý’Thus, his membership of the State Executive Council will ultimately put him in a position that makes him a judge in his own case, that is, to supplant the lawful position of the Edo State Government that has never filed or accepted any contrary position to that contained in the chieftaincy declaration gazette,’ he added.
ýThe traditional ruler said his petition was intended to present the facts to the governor before Otaru assumed office as a commissioner.
ýHe added that the petition was aimed at ensuring that appointments of traditional rulers in the state complied fully with the relevant gazette or declaration enacted into law by the government.
ýIt would also be recalled that Governor Okpebholo had, on April 30, 2025, removed three traditional rulers in Edo North Senatorial District.
ýThe affected rulers were: Umoru Inusa Umoru, the Aidonogie of South Ibie; Lukman Akemokue, the Okuokpellagbe of Okpella; and George Oshiapi Egabor, the Okumagbe of Uwano Kingdom.
ýThe governor said that their removal was due to irregularities in their appointments, violations of customary succession laws and alleged involvement in kidnapping and insecurity.
ýHe subsequently reappointed Aliyu Kelvin Danesi as Aidonogie of South Ibie and appointed Michael Eshioronoya Sado as Okuokpellagbe of Okpella following his selection by the kingmakers.
ýThe appointment to the stool of Okumagbe of Uwano Kingdom was still pending at the time but has since been filled by Francis Alimikhena, a former senator who represented Edo North Senatorial District following the death of George Oshiapi Egabor.