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Council of Chiefs in Orile Ilawo in Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State has kicked against the move by the controversial Oba-elect Alex Macgregor to manipulate the cabinet of state governor Dapo Abiodun for recognition.
The chiefs said Abiodun should refrain from handing staff of office to Macgregor since his claim to the Obaship stool have been trailed by controversies.
They made the call in an open letter to the governor on Thursday.
The chief stressed that Macgregor has been dragged to an Abeokuta High court in six separate suit challenging the process that brought up Alex Macgregor as the Oba Elect.
It was gathered that the Ministry of Justice, and commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs amongst others have all been served a copy of the suit by the court.
In the suit with No. AB/789/22, the claimants averred that the process for the nomination and selection of Macgregor contravened the native law, the custom, and the applicable chiefs laws of Ogun state 2021.
Some of the chiefs who spoke with newsmen called on Abiodun to reject Macgregor as Oba-elect.
Chief Afolabi Soaga, said,” We have seen their transgenerational abuses of Power and violence on us all at Ilawo, backed by reckless impunity possibly because of a backing of wealth. This certainly will not end well if the government of Dapo Abiodun perpetuates injustice on our people”.
Another chief, Olabanji Olaogun, Ogboye of Ilawo, said, “Our government should not make the mistake of approving Macgregor as Oba of Orile Ilawo. This will never be accepted by the majority of people. First on eligibility grounds and also the process that brought him up which is allegedly fraught with fraudulent motives.This person being peddled does not have a homeland , Village or blood relation in our homestead, Orile Ilawo. Again, we openly challenge him to come and say to us where he really is from?”
On his part, Pa Michael Sorunke, claimed that Macgregor has no right to the Obaship stool.
His words, “Family “Oriki” is “lJAMO, Omo oju rokoko. Akara kan be ni ita oje Omo duro dako fun”. If Macgregor does not know his history, he needs to ask if there are any elders left in their family. His generation has never been from Orile Ilawo Clan.
“For the records, there has never been in Orile Ilawo history, the existence of “Macgregor compound” or “Gbadamosi compound as sometimes claimed by Alex Macgregor (7th defendant) as it soothes him for convenience. Emphatically, this further establishes the fact that their generations are strangers in Ilawo without any link to any village or town in Orile Ilawo”
However in a a joint statement signed by the Orile Ilawo Council of Chiefs, headed by Oluwo of Iledi Ilawo, Chief Samson Dosumu, urged the government to stop any action or plan to declare McGregor the Olu of Ilawo elect.
Dosumu noted that in all Yoruba land, it’s the prerogative of the Orile Ilawo Traditional council of Chiefs headed by the Oluwo Iledi Ilawo to scrutinize, nominate and present a list to 4th defendant (Odeda Local government) for the possible selection of warrant chiefs to act as kingmakers to elect who to fill the vacant stool.
“We appreciate the peace we are enjoying in Ilawo. We urgently urge the government of Prince Dapo Abiodun, who is a prince himself and understands the intricacies of Obaship to restrain from creating a bigger problem for us in Ilawo township. We have written 4 different letters directly to the commissioner , ministry of Justice and the governor himself. Our ancestors are not sleeping,” the statement reads.
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