By Andrew Cohen Amvesi
ARUA
The council of elders has declared His Highness Manase Amuku Yuma, the Chief of the people of Ayivu as the new Paramount Chief (Agofe) of the Lugbara cultural institution (Lugbara Kari).
The declaration was made on January 26, 2024 by Elly Emo Ejiku, the chairman of the select committee council of elders from the four main Lugbara chiefdoms of Ayivu, Vurra, Maracha and Terego.
This is after the council of the elders sat on July 13, 2023 and unanimously declared Yuma as the duly elected Agofe of the Lugbara people. Yuma will now replace His Highness Nason Avutia who died in January 2023.
“On behalf of the council of elders Lugbara Kari, and on my own behalf, I Ejiku Elly Emo, as directed by Article 12 of the Constitution of Lugbara Kari, declare His Highness Yuma Amuku Manase as the fourth Agofe of Lugbara Kari on 26th day of January, 2024,” the declaration signed by Ejiku read in part.
According to Ejiku, the declaration followed the two applications they received from Ismail Tuku, the current Lugbara Kari Prime Minister and Yuma for the position of the Paramount Chief.
But Ejiku said Tuku was later eliminated from the race because he wasn’t elected by the people to the leadership position in the Lugbara Kari hierarchy.
“Yuma came from down up to the level of a Chief meanwhile Tuku was a worker of the former Agofe who appointed him as the Prime Minister. So, because he was an appointee and secondly, he was the owner of the government and he couldn’t overthrow his own government, thirdly, he didn’t resign his position as the Prime Minister and for these three reasons, we disqualified him and we declared Yuma Manase Amuku as the Fourth Agofe on that very day of 13th July, 2023,” Ejiku said.
“But because there was a lot of confusion, we allowed the dust raised to settle and when the dust settled down, on 26th last month, I declared Yuma, the fourth Agofe of Lugbara Kari,” Ejiku explained to journalists at Yuma’s home in Angorovu cell, Pajulu ward in Arua city on Saturday, 17th February, 2024.
He said preparations are currently underway to officially enthrone Yuma as the duly elected and recognized Paramount Chief of Lugbara Kari.
In his remarks, Yuma thanked God for the opportunity to serve the Lugbara speaking people in his new capacity as the new Agofe of Lugbara Kari.
He pledged to use his new office to unite the people and promote the Lugbara culture both within and outside the region.
Yuma who is currently forming his cabinet revealed to journalists that after his election as the new Agofe, he held a meeting with Tuku on the need to work together.
Yuma further revealed that he has now appointed and retained Tuku as the Prime Minister of Lugbara Kari, a position he (Tuku) has accepted to take on.
However, when contacted on phone, Tuku disputed the declaration calling it unofficial on grounds that he would be the one to make the communication in his capacity as the Prime Minister of Lugbara Kari but not anybody else.
