King Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja (left), former president Goodluck Jonathan, during the visit.
Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has accepted an invitation to attend the coronation of the Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom, King Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja, Jeki VI, scheduled for September 26, 2026.
Jonathan disclosed his acceptance when he received the Amanyanabo and members of the Opobo Council of Alapu at his residence in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Wednesday, during engagements ahead of the historic coronation.
Describing Opobo Kingdom as a place of profound historical significance, the former president said the monarchy had played an important role in the history of Nigeria and the Niger Delta.
“Opobo Kingdom is a place with history, and this visit is a big honour,” Jonathan said, adding, “We will come to honour you back.”
The former president congratulated King Charles and acknowledged the significance of the Opobo throne to the history and development of the Niger Delta.
Speaking during the visit, King Charles said the delegation was at Jonathan’s residence to exchange views on issues of common interest to the region and formally invite him to the coronation.
“We cannot coronate an Opobo monarch without coming to see you,” the monarch told the former president, whom he described as a foremost Ijaw son and Nigerian leader.
Amanyanabo of Opobo, King Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja (5th left), Former President Goodluck Jonathan (4th right) and other dignitaries during the visit, recently.
The coronation ceremony will hold on Saturday, September 26, as the centrepiece of a 10-day programme of activities scheduled for September 18 to 27.
The Opobo monarchy traces its origins to King Jaja of Opobo, who emerged as a formidable political and commercial authority in the 19th-century Niger Delta.
Following the Bonny civil conflict of the late 1860s, Jaja established Opobo as an independent political and commercial centre, building an extensive trading network and wielding considerable influence over the palm-oil trade between the Niger Delta hinterland and the Atlantic coast.
Britain subsequently entered into a commercial treaty with Jaja in 1873, formally recognising him as King of Opobo. However, his growing opposition to British commercial and imperial interests eventually brought him into conflict with the colonial authorities.
Jaja was arrested and exiled in 1887, an episode that has remained a defining chapter in the history of colonial relations and resistance in the Niger Delta.
King Charles Douglas MacPepple Jaja became Amanyanabo-Elect following the death of King Dandeson Douglas Jaja and is scheduled to be formally crowned Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom on September 26.
The coronation is expected to attract traditional rulers, political leaders, members of the diplomatic community, business leaders and Opobo indigenes from across Nigeria and the diaspora.