Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State has dissolved the Anambra Traditional Rulers Council, saying the present composition of the council was in violation of the law establishing it.
Mr Soludo announced this on Tuesday during a meeting with traditional rulers in the state, according to a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Christian Aburime.
Mr Aburime said the governor, at the meeting which was attended by 94 traditional rulers in the state, addressed the controversy that greeted the suspension of a traditional ruler in the state for conferring a chieftaincy title on a Nigerian senator.
Mr Soludo, according to the statement, also spoke on the reason for querying two other traditional rulers in the state for similar offence.
He subsequently announced the reinstatement of the suspended traditional ruler and pardon for the two other monarchs.
“In the course of the discussion that followed, it was observed that the body operating as the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council as constituted was unknown to the law as the State Government has observed that the body was improperly constituted in violation of the provision of Section 2 (F) of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers (Amendment) Law, 2020,” Mr Aburime said.
The governor’s spokesperson said the section provides that the council should be composed of a chairperson, two deputy chairpersons, and one member each from the 21 local government areas of the state – all to be appointed by the governor.
“The above provision of the law therefore mandates that the Traditional Rulers Council shall be constituted with not more than 36 members.
“The record of the State, however, shows that the body currently acting as the Traditional Rulers Council is composed of 52 persons in utter violation of the law, the implication of which is that the body is not the Traditional Rulers Council known to law,” Mr Aburime said.
“To that extent, that body as presently constituted cannot make any valid decisions or function legally; and could not have done so in the light of the provisions of the law.”
