Idoma council debunks claim linking Tinubu to revoked chieftaincy title

The Idoma Area Traditional Council, Benue State, has said that President Bola Tinubu’s name was never included in any list of individuals presented for a traditional title by the Igede Traditional Council.

The Secretary to the paramount ruler of the Idoma Traditional Council, Adegbe Uloko, made this known in a statement made available to our correspondent on Tuesday.

The clarification from the Idoma Area Traditional Council comes amid rumours and media reports suggesting that President Bola Tinubu’s name was among those affected in the nullification of traditional titles in Benue State. The controversy stems from recent actions by the council, which suspended the conferment of chieftaincy titles within Idoma land.

According to the IATC, the directive, first issued on August 19 and reinforced on September 2, was a general order aimed at halting all traditional title conferments by intermediate area councils until proper vetting and approval processes were completed.

The council emphasised that neither the President nor the Secretary to the Government of the Federation appeared on any of the submitted lists.

However, Uloko, in the statement titled “No chieftaincy title of the President or SGF was nullified by IATC”, stressed that the list submitted by the paramount ruler of Igede, HRH Ero Oga, never contained the name of the President or that of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The statement partly read, “At no time did the list submitted to the Idoma Area Traditional Council contain the name of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or that of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”

He explained that the first-class chief of Igede, HRH Ero Oga, was officially directed on August 19, 2025, to step down the conferment, and that the directive was reinforced by an official declaration of the council issued on September 2.

“The declaration was a general directive suspending all conferment of chieftaincy titles by all intermediate area traditional councils within Idoma land until duly considered and approved by the Idoma Area Traditional Council,” the statement added.

The IATC maintained that it would continue to uphold the dignity of the throne, preserve the sanctity of Idoma customs, and support peace and development in Benue State and Nigeria at large.

The Idoma Traditional Council, which is the apex traditional institution for Idoma land, said the move was part of its responsibility to safeguard the integrity of the throne and ensure that traditional honours were not politicised or abused.

It explained that the suspension of chieftaincy conferments was not targeted at any individual but was designed to preserve cultural dignity and prevent unapproved titles from creating confusion.

This clarification reflects the sensitivity of traditional institutions in Nigeria, where the conferment of titles on political leaders often sparks controversy, with critics viewing them as politically motivated or as undermining the sanctity of the stool.

By distancing President Tinubu and the SGF from the nullified titles, the IATC hopes to quell speculation, protect the image of the presidency, and reassert its authority over cultural matters in Idoma land.