Idoma Traditional Council Denies Nullifying Title for Tinubu

The Idoma Area Traditional Council (IATC) has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu’s name featured among individuals affected by the suspension of chieftaincy titles in Benue State.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Adegbe Uloko, Secretary to the paramount ruler of the council, clarified that neither the President nor the Secretary to the Government of the Federation was ever considered for any title by the Igede Traditional Council.

The clarification follows widespread rumours suggesting that Tinubu was among those whose traditional honours were nullified. The controversy stems from the IATC’s recent directive suspending the conferment of chieftaincy titles across Idoma land.

According to the council, the order—first given on August 19 and reaffirmed on September 2—was a blanket suspension aimed at halting all title conferments until proper scrutiny and approval had been carried out.

Uloko, in the statement titled “No chieftaincy title of the President or SGF was nullified by IATC”, stressed: “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, had been directed on August 19 to suspend any conferment, and the directive was later reinforced by the council’s official declaration of 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 council emphasized that the suspension was not targeted at any individual but intended to safeguard cultural dignity, prevent the politicisation of traditional honours, and preserve the integrity of the Idoma throne.

As the apex traditional institution in Idoma land, the IATC reiterated its commitment to upholding customs, maintaining peace, and supporting development in Benue State and the country at large.

By distancing President Tinubu and the SGF from the controversy, the council seeks to quash speculation, protect the image of the presidency, and reinforce its authority over cultural matters.