Fresh chieftaincy crisis brews in Orile Igbon

INDICATIONS emerged on Tuesday that the Orile Igbon town is heading for another round of crisis as the Olugbon Royal Family in Surulere local government area of Oyo state accused officials of the state’s Ministry of local government and chieftaincy matters of attempting to “use the backdoor to impose a traditional ruler on the people of Orile Igbon.”

This came just as the dust raised by the controversial review of the Ibadan chieftaincy declaration by Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the state is yet to settle.

According to Adesola Akanbi, spokesperson of the Olugbon Royal family, who spoke to journalists on behalf of the family, also accused the authorities of the Surulere Local Government of not following the rule of law in addressing the brewing chieftaincy tussle.

Akanbi stressed: “The local government chairman in incestuous alliance with the Ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs and by extension the Government of Oyo State have constituted themselves into not just King makers, but some sort of alternate Royal family by selecting, presenting and appointing candidate for a vacant royal stool in scornful disregard to ancient customs and traditions of the concerned stool.”

“The people of Orile Igbon and the Oba Olugbon Royal family of Orile Igbon are still in deep disbelief that their protests which culminated in court recorded undertaking by the Lawyers representing both Surulere Local Government and the Government of Oyo State that their clients that is the Surulere Local Government,  the Oyo state government as well as Mr. Francis Olusola Alao  appointed Oba, shall do nothing to put the court in a helpless position in the ongoing case is consistently been observed in the breach by both the Governments and particularly Mr. Francis Olusola Alao.

“It is an established fact of law that when a case is yet to be decided by the adjudicating court all parties to the case not excluding a government, her agents or privies shall refrain from any act or acts that could present the court with a fait accompli.

“To that end Mr Francis Olusola Alao has been technically directed by law not to parade himself as an Oba and the local government as well as the Government of Oyo State not to address him as or accord him any paraphernalia of office. The police to their credit have so far complied with this tenet of law.

“To the amazement of all and in a flagrant disregard of whatever the court stand for, Mr Francis Olusola Alao a party to the case has set in motion the processes for his ultimate coronation as Oba Olugbon with Mr Ibrahim Gbodeniyi the caretaker chairman of Surulere Local Government as the arrowhead of the processes and the mechanism of the Government of the State particularly those of the Ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs fully mobilized to support an illegal grandstanding.

“It has been shouted times without numbers that Mr Francis Olusola Alao is unknown to the Oba Olugbon of Orile Igbon Royal lineage and at best is a criminal impostor but Mrs Wumi Ogunesan the Amazon and Permanent Secretary in the Oyo state Ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs whom rumors has it exerts humongous influence on the Governor of Oyo State has from the word go refused to listen to the truth about her pet; Oba Olugbon by force project.

“Governor Ajimobi hitherto regarded as a listening Governor with a sense of justice but whom we are told has been relying on his Ministry and Permanent Secretary for quality advice, but the Ministry personified by the Permanent Secretary in this case own a dangerous agenda of minting their own type of Oba; a king that is rootless and therefore has been deceiving the Governor in all purpose by orchestrating and trying to foist what can at best be categorized as a fraudulent precedent upon the throne and people of Orile Igbon as well as the Yoruba race.

“An injustice no matter the mode or color is an injustice and anyone with sense of justice and eyes on history must not be seen to be aiding, talk less of joining in undermining or worse, perpetrating naked injustice.

“The people of Orile Igbon kingdom and the entire history recognized members of the Oba Olugbon royal family are crying for justice today because wherever justice is murdered the immediate casualty is peace.

“There is an unnecessary crisis in Orile Igbon kingdom today because of an unwarranted audacity at rewritten a peoples’ history, Governor Ajimobi must be seen on the side of justice in the crisis, he must act to erase the fraudulent precedent and restore the people of Orile Igbon kingdom’s shattered confidence in him and his government.

“Whatever we do, attempt to or failed to do today is tomorrow’s history and where or whenever we attempt to side with injustice, justice always has a way of getting back at us in a poetic manner. Mr Governor sir, we remain loyal”,