Ohanaeze Ndigbo Condemns Senate Bill Elevating Ooni and Sultan as Exclusive Co-Chairmen of Traditional Rulers Council
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has expressed strong opposition to a bill currently under consideration in the Nigerian Senate, which seeks to officially designate the Ooni of Ife and the Sultan of Sokoto as the exclusive Co-Chairmen of the National Council of Traditional Rulers.
In a strongly worded statement issued in Enugu on Sunday, the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr. Ezechi Chukwu, decried the proposed legislation as fundamentally flawed and discriminatory.
He warned that such a bill, if allowed to stand, would marginalize other prominent traditional rulers from diverse ethnic nationalities and geopolitical regions across the country.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the controversial bill has already passed its second reading in the Senate, sparking intense reactions from various quarters.
Dr. Chukwu described the Senate’s action as deeply troubling, noting that the legislative body has failed in its responsibility to uphold the ideals of equity, justice, and the Federal Character principle embedded in Nigeria’s Constitution.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo is astonished by the rationale behind such an asymmetrical bill,” Chukwu said. “It betrays a shocking level of insensitivity to the country’s ethnic plurality and cultural diversity. The Senate, in pushing this bill, has undermined its role as the guardian of democratic values and national cohesion.”
He further criticized the bill as not only inequitable but also as discriminatory, ethnocentric, and wholly unacceptable. “It lacks ethical justification, fails all tests of objective reasoning, and ignores the inclusive spirit needed to strengthen national unity in a multi-ethnic federation like Nigeria,” he added.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo has therefore called for the immediate withdrawal of the bill. The group emphasized the importance of reviewing the proposal through the lens of cultural inclusiveness, ethnic sensitivity, geopolitical balance, and equitable representation of all traditional institutions.
“It is only through such an inclusive approach that any legislation on the Traditional Rulers Council can contribute meaningfully to peaceful co-existence, social harmony, and national stability,” Chukwu concluded.