DARTS of criticisms are whizzing across to Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, over the renewed leadership tussle in the state Council of Obas and Chiefs, involving its youthful Permanent Chairman, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, and Vice Chairman, Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran.
Both monarchs had clashed over disagreement on protocol and seniority sitting order at the resumed monthly meeting of the council in Osogbo on Thursday.
Trouble was said to have started when Oba Aromolaran, reportedly stopped the advance team of the Ooni from positioning his special seat at the front position where he was supposed to preside. Saturday Sun gathered that Oba Aromolaran insisted that his own seat should occupy the space.
The meeting eventually broke up and was put off indefinitely following failure to resolve the controversy in which the clothes of one of the Ooni’s aides who engaged Aromolaran in altercation, was reportedly torn to shreds.
lt was like the world celebrated too soon the apparent return of peace to the Obaship institution in Yorubaland, with the return of the genie of discord that had plagued it.
Ironically, one of the parties to the dispute is Oba Ogunwusi, the symbol and harbinger of the new found “unity”, who has drawn acclaim for preaching the gospel of peace and solidarity among the monarchs in the South West since he was installed late last year.
But stakeholders in the state blame the state government for the royal face off, which they noted, could have been averted had it taken necessary proactive steps to nip it in the bud. They observed that the crisis had been brewing and should have been foreseen, when Aromolaran announced himself the council’s new substantive chairman, having purportedly been elected and mandated by his colleagues, just before Ogunwusi’s coronation.
Saturday Sun reliably gathered, however, that the alleged endorsement was not “unanimous”, as some of the royal fathers sympathetic to the Ooni saw the “plot” as an attempt to deny the 42-year old, considered as the spiritual head and custodian of the sacred throne of the cradle of all Yoruba, his right to head the body, consisting mostly of elderly monarchs.
The Ooni by virtue of the law and gazette setting up the council is the most senior Oba and permanent chairman, with Aromolaran and Orangun of Ila next in rank as his two deputies. The arrangement which was put in place to prevent rivalry and leadership tussle between the late Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuwade and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi in the old Oyo State before Osun was carved out of it, partially to restore peace in the institution, worked well under Sijuwade’s tenure, as he had age, class, wealth and charisma to his advantage.
Government’s critics said its failure to nip the crisis in the bud may not be unconnected with alleged attempt to “divide and rule”.
A prominent leader of thought in the state, accused Governor Aregbesola of trying to play the two sides and avoid displeasing Aromolaran, who is the paramount ruler of Ijesaland, from where he hails. He, however, said the governor’s ambivalence had nothing to do with tribal affinity or loyalty, as his political interests. “You know, we understand he nurses ambition to run for the Senate after completing his term and so, as a politician, he may not want to offend his primary constituency.”, he told Saturday Sun last night.
A prominent monarch in the state corroborated this view, expressing disappointment at the governor’s failure to frontally tackle the issue when he met with them Thursday. His words: “Ordinarily, this would not have happened, if the government had issued a statement clarifying that the incoming Ooni remains the Permanent Chairman, when Kabiyesi {Aromolaran) made that pronouncement last year. Again, the governor should have accompanied his royal majesty, the Ooni down to our meeting to formally introduce him as the chairman. Unfortunately, none of these was done. And it was what stoked the crisis.
“Now, one would have expected the governor to put the record straight when he met with us at the Government House after the ugly incident, but, he said nothing other than that the issues would be resolved.”
Another member of the traditional council frowned at the latest development, noting that apart from reviving rancour among the Obas, it was also a needless attempt at subverting the law setting up the council. He declared, however, that revising the statutes was out of the question. “It is not subject to discussion. The law is the law and we are satisfied with it as it is”, the monarch said.
The royal father said it was “unthinkable for anyone to expect that Ooni, who is a co-chairman of the Council of Traditional Rulers, with the Sultan of Sokoto, who is the supreme head of northern traditional rulers, can’t be like his counterpart in his own state.”
The spokesperson for the Ooni’s court, Mr. Moses Olafare, when contacted, said the Ooni’s position as the permanent chairman of the council was incontrovertible. “Ooni would not want to be drawn into what happened. But he ( Ooni) remains the permanent chairman according to the law,” he said. He added: “The issue of who becomes the chairman is a creation of law and can only be reversed by law and whoever is not satisfied with the arrangement should either go to court or the House of Assembly and seek review of the law.”
Recall that Oba Aromolaran had last year, claimed that he was unanimously elected the substantive chairman of the council. However, he had introduced himself as the vice chairman of the council at the December 2015 meeting which was attended for the first time by the Ooni to thank his colleagues for attending his inauguration, which, they had earlier threatened to boycott for allegedly not receiving invitation.
Contacted for comments, state Director of Bureau of Communication, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, pleaded that he was busy at a meeting. However, he promised to return Saturday Sun’s call, but did not by press time.
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