‘It’s baseless to say Eze Aro’s father must be dead before he is crowned – Kanu

Prince Kanu Okoro Kanu Oji, the grand Prince of Arochukwu kingdom, has played down the controversy over the ascendency to the Eze Aro throne by His Royal Majesty, Eze Eberechukwu Oji.

HRM Eberechukwu Oji emerged Eze Aro recently through the traditional laid down process of the Arochukwu royal family of Okennachi, responsible for presenting a new Eze to Arochukwu.

He is set to be crowned later in December this year.

There have been insinuations that he should not be allowed to ascend the throne because his father is still alive.

However, in a press statement made available, Prince Kanu described the insinuations that Eze Aro’s father must be dead before he ascends the throne as laughable.

Oji, who earlier addressed journalists at the Palace of Eze Aro, in Arochukwu, Abia State, said that such insinuations were owing to ignorance.

He recalled that “even the founder of Arochukwu allowed his own son to be the Eze in the ancient times.”

On the claims that Eze Eberechukwu Oji should not ascend the throne because his father is still alive, he queried: “What makes him disqualified? Is this the first time it is happening?

“Coming from this kingdom, our ancestral patriarch, Nnachi did not rule Arochukwu. But he was alive when his son, Oke Nnachi was ruling. He was the founder of Arochukwu. So it’s not the first time.

“Then in recent history, if you go to Amukwa, when it was the turn of a man, he gave it to his son. He was alive and his son was ruling.

“That was the person that ruled before the present Eze Ogo of Amukwa.

“Once the father approves of his son to go in his place, then he can go. This thing we are talking about is exclusively the rights of Mazi Oji Kanu as Okwara Ezi and Ochie Ochie Ime Ezi.

“Again, going to the bible, for those of us who are Christians, David was a king. He had elder siblings and the father Jesse. The Ooni of Ife, his father, is alive. The Olu of Warri, the father is alive.

“So, what are we talking about? Even Eze Ibom Isii that is trying to make a case here, his father is alive, because his elder brother acts as his father, and he is alive. His name is Isaac, and he acts as his father.”