The Itsekiri nation Saturday announced the passage of Ogiame Atuwatse II, the Olu of Warri and almost immediately designated his younger brother, Prince Ikenwole Godfrey Abiloye Emiko as successor.
Both announcements were the key issues of a national congress the Itsekiri nation held at the Olu Palace, Ode-Itsekiri, ancentral home of the Itsekiri nation also known as Big Warri.
Palace Chiefs dressed in white robes with a mix of red apron, signifying their royalty and black for mourning, gathered before 10am at the palace hall together with other men, women, and youths of the Itsekiri nation to hear what was at stake.
Chief Yaya Pessu, Ojomo of Warri, representing the Ologbotsere (Chief Priest) of the kingdom fulfilled the tradition when he smashed a big ball of native chalk on the floor of the gathering with the exclamation, “The calabash is broken”, signifying the announcement of the passage of Ogiame Atuwatse II, the 19th Olu, to join his ancestors after 28 years on the throne.
The act by Chief Pessu, which came at 11.50am, was followed by a succession of about 19 cannon shots that hardly perturbed the crowd large crowd present who were anxious about the revelation of who succeeds the departed Atuwatse II.
The anxiety lasted till 12.16pm when Chief Pessu again took the responsibility of announcing Crown Prince Ikenwole Godfrey Abitoye Emiko as Olu designate, setting off thundering jubilation across the palace hall and the overflow crowd outside.
Prince Emiko, said to be about 60, and younger brother to his Atuwatse II, is a graduate of Business Administration from the University of Benin and is believed to be conversant with the traditions of the land.
The Olu designate was summoned and led by his peers to the palace hall for all to see before he was announced by Chief Pessu acting as the Ologbotsere.
