Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, says Mark-Anthony Okonkwo, a suspended traditional ruler in Alor, Anambra state, ought to be banished.
Okonkwo and 11 others were suspended by Willie Obiano, governor of the state, for travelling out of Anambra without government approval.
Leading a protest against the suspended monarch, Ngigie who also hails from Alor in Idemili south local government area, alleged that Okonkwo was imposed on the people by Peter Obi, a former governor of the state, whom he accused of punishing the community.
“He decided to punish the towns thereby starving them of any projects and destabilise their town unions starting from Alor where he dissolved the executives with a caretaker hostile to Ngige and imposed the monarch on the community as against the constitution of the people,” he said.
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“When someone is suspended from performing functions of an office, he should be barred from even being in that vicinity.
“So, I advise Anambra state government to relocate these 12 traditional rulers from their communities to avoid a situation likely to cause a breach of public peace.”
Protesters who took to the streets had placards rejecting imposition of the monarch and a caretaker committee in the community put up by the state government.
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“Alor rejects the imposition of caretaker”, “Please, Governor Obiano look into this matter”, “This imposition has been on for eight years” are some of the inscriptions on the placards.
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