By Tare Youdeowei

Chairman, People for Peace and Justice Initiative, PFPAJI, Mr Emmanuel Okotie-Eboh, has appealed to the Itsekiris not to drag the respected Crown of the Iwere nation to the political arena.

He said he was not happy with the way the Crown was being brought into minor issues in recent times, noting that he was disturbed by a statement credited to a Prince of the kingdom in some national dailies after the protest that rocked the kingdom recently over the planned installation of Ologbotsere (prime minister) by the Olu of Warri Kingdom.

He expressed concern over the way the suspended installation of the Ologbotsere had been tagged “politically sponsored by Asaba or government” by a Prince in the Kingdom, describing the development as sad.

Okotie-Eboh implored all Itsekiris to accord the Crown the deserved honour.

He said, “I want to appeal to my brothers and sisters not to bring the Crown into the political arena under any condition. We must accord the Crown the deserved respect and refrain from ridiculing the Crown. The act of dragging the Crown into every little issue is sad.

“Let me make it clear that after God, the next for the Itsekiri man is the Crown and so I am appealing to our Princes and Princesses, Itsekiri fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters to stop bringing the Crown into the political field as all persons in and outside politics are children of the Crown.”

‘’Some lazy politicians are always bringing the crown into the political space,  if you know you are popular, go out there and face the electorate and stop bringing the Crown into political field as it belongs to all Itsekiri  sons and daughters. We should stop making our inter affairs an international affairs.”

He picked holes in a recent interview by a Prince in the kingdom on why one of the contenders to the Prime Minister position was dropped at the palace yard, saying that the argument do not hold water.