Idoma Council Cancels Chieftaincy Titles Given To Tinubu And Others In Benue

The Idoma Area Traditional Council (IATC) has nullified the chieftaincy titles recently conferred on President Bola Tinubu and four other dignitaries during the Igede Agba yam festival in Oju Local Government Area of Benue State.

The titles, including one received on behalf of the president by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, were bestowed on September 6 by the Adiharu of Igede, CP Oga Ero (retd.), at the annual celebration.

In a statement on Monday, the IATC, led by its President and Och’Idoma V, Dr. Elaigwu Odogbo John, declared the conferments invalid. The council explained that the act violated its earlier directive suspending all chieftaincy title bestowals across the Idoma nation.

The statement, signed by the council’s secretary, Adegbe Uloko, reaffirmed that the IATC remains the only government-recognised traditional authority in the Idoma nation. It stressed that any action contrary to its declaration amounts to a breach of law and custom.

The council added that the conferments carried no legal, cultural, or traditional weight, urging government institutions, traditional stakeholders, and the public to disregard them.

According to the IATC, the decision was taken to protect the integrity of traditional institutions in Benue State, ensure due process, and maintain peace and unity within the Idoma nation.

The development follows the council’s earlier announcement suspending all title conferments to allow proper regulation and sanitisation of the process.