On October 19, 2023, a piece of news went viral and appeared on the front page of “The Point” newspaper. The headline reads, “Bayelsa suspends monarch for endorsing Sylva.”
Claim: The Bayelsa Government has suspended a monarch for endorsing Timpre Sylva of the APC
Verification:
The CDD War Room traced the story to the website of “The Point” and found that the story was published on October 19, 2023. We found that the monarch, His Royal Majesty, King Boutua Collins Aranka Ibedaowei of Opokuma clan in Kolokuma/ Opokuma Local Government Area, allegedly made the comments when Timipre Sylva of the All Progressive Congress (APC) visited his palace.
We found a video of Timpre Sylva’s visit to the monarch. In the video, the monarch was lamenting the paltry pay of the traditional rulers in Bayelsa state. He said, “The paramount rulers, we have struggled and struggled. I am sorry to be saying this, these paramount rulers are paid N28,000 monthly, can you bare it? N28,000 that if you give to a secondary school student in boarding school will not even accept it. If I am saying it, they will say I am telling lie. Infact, when you left, another bad thing happened: somebody came as governor and reduced paramount rulers from 3rd class to 4th class and decided to pay them this N28,000; please help us.”
We can confirm that the Bayelsa Government has suspended the monarch following a press statement by the deputy governor of the state, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo. The statement was signed by his senior special assistant on media, Mr Doubara Atasi, and he said the suspension was due to a reported case of falsehood and misrepresentation of the chieftaincy laws of the State.
The press statement revealed that “the Bayelsa state government pays first-class kings in the status of King Aranka the sum of N650,000 monthly. Second-class kings receive N120,000, third-class kings get N80,000, while fourth-class kings are paid the sum of N30,000 monthly.”
Alongside the immediate suspension of King Aranka from office, the state government has set up a seven-man panel to probe allegations against him.
The CDD War Room found that the allegation that the Bayelsa state government is paying N28,000 to monarchs is what the government considers as falsehood and misrepresentation of the chieftaincy laws of the state. Hence the suspension of the Monarch.
Verdict: Misleading
The claim is misleading because King Aranka Collins of the Opokuma clan was suspended for alleged falsehood and misrepresentation of the chieftaincy laws of the state and not for supporting Timpre Sylva of the APC.