Zing in Taraba State gets new Kpanti
By; MAGAJI HUNKUYI, Jalingo
Suleiman Ibrahim Sambo, younger brother to the late Kpanti Zing who died in Saudi-Arabia last month has defeated four other contestants to emerged as the new Kpanti Zing.
All the 22 Village Heads who made up the Kingmakers of the Mumuye Chiefdom traditionally conferred with the responsibility of selecting a new Kpanti, voted Sambo popularly known as Bala.
Sambo defeated Abdu Kombranko, Mohammed Tumba Ibrahim, Abubakar Kombranko and Dahiru Bello Kombranko.
The election took place at the Auditorium of College of Education (COE) Zing, utilizing the open ballot amid very tight security.
The election was supervised by a committee constituted by the state government to ensure law, order and peace are maintained during the exercise.
A representative of the Aku Uka who is the Chairman of the State Council of Chiefs, the Caretaker Chairman of Zing Local Government Council, Wazirin Zing who was acting Kpanti, members of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) and Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), representatives of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Muslim Council as well the Mumuye Cultural Association were in attendance as observers.
The former Kpanti, HRH Abbas Ibrahim Sambo and two of his wives and some relatives died in the stampede in Muna, near Makkah, Saudi Arabia, during the last Hajj exercise.
Since his death, Zing Local Government Area was plunged into major crisis over who succeeds him.
The agent of the new monarch, Pius Bitonunpa Danba said Sambo was the choice of the Mumuye people. “That is what we want, he is our collective choice; we longed for this day even before the former Kpanti died.
“The palace had been messed up and we had longed for a revolt to clean up the dirt. We want to return to our core cultural practices.”
Chairman of the supervisory committee, Bello Yero said the government had no preferred candidate but set up a committee to oversee the exercise, so that there would be no doubts after the selection.
It could be recalled that a number of masquerades invaded the palace of the late Kpanti and sacked mourners including the entire families of late monarch which led to crisis and imposition of curfew by the state government.
