In his fatherly disposition, the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, CON, JP, DSSRS, Perekule XI has admonished the political class to sustain the agelong legacy of peaceful elections in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.

King Pepple III, who is also the Ama-na-Koroma Sibidabo (Natural Ruler) of Bonny Kingdom, gave this admonition on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 during the 2022 Annual Royal Banquet at the King Perekule Palace in Bonny.

“Next year is elections and I just want to remind us that as usual we would be meeting like we have been meeting with you to appeal to you to do things the way we do them. 

“We have always had elections and our elections end here very peacefully and at the end of the day we are still one family; and I don’t think it should be different this time around. No matter what happens out there, bonny elections should go the way bonny elections go, peacefully.” 

Acknowledging that political differences abound among the various political cleavages, the former Chairman fo the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers urged the various political actors to converge on the Ibani identity and values of oneness, brotherliness and peaceful disposition towards each other.

“I want to remind you that yes differences would come but it would not be differences that would destroy us. I would be appealing to us; all the political parties – the ruling party and all others – that we would be meeting with you people.

“It’s just a reminder that we just need to do the things we need to do. Whatever directions we give our supporters is what they will follow. After all’s done, let’s all remember that we will still meet at Ikuba Nungo.”  

Checks by Kristina Reports indicate that Bonny LGA prides itself in the entrenchment of peaceful elections over the years. For all the times there have been stalemates as outcomes of the election there has been zero resort to violence as the stakeholders have always deployed dialogue to resolve intractable differences.

Dignitaries at the banquet included the Chairman of Bonny LGA, Dame Anengi Barasua; former Minister of Housing, Amaopuorubo Amal Pepple; the lawmaker representing Bonny Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Abinye Pepple; former Director General, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Professor Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke; Chairman, Bonny Council of Chiefs and Chief and Head of Wilcox Major House, Se-Alabo Dagogo Claude-Wilcox, MON; Chief and Head of Captain Hart Major House, Se-Alabo Reginald Hart, MON, JP, Adango XIII; and President of Bonny Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Amaopsenibo Amairigha Hart.

Others were the former Commissioner of Police (Medicals), South-South Zone, Margaret Hart, her husband, AIG Stephen Hart; Divisional Police Officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Bonny and Finima, SP Kingsley Abejegah and CSP Usman Sadiq, respectively; Commanding Officer of the 146 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Bonny, Lt. Col. Habib Mbe; representative of the Commanding Officer, Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (NN FOB), Bonny, Lt. Godiya Munza; Divisional Officer, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), SC Benjamin Ntelente Uraka; Chief and Head, Christy-Wilcox House, Golden Christy Wilcox; and President, Bonny Kingdom Titled Citizens Assembly (TCA), Amaopusenibo Furosia Wilcox, among others.