Gbogbo awọn ọmọ ilu Ọra Igbomina to wa n’ipinlẹ
Ọṣun ni wọn ti n ke gbajare s’ijọba ipinlẹ naa labẹ Gomina Gboyega Oyetọla wi
pe ko tete wa nnkan ṣe s’ọrọ ipo Ọba to ti da wahala nla silẹ niluu naa, to si
ṣee ṣe ko kọja oju lasan t’awọn fi n wo o.
Awọn ọmọ ati olugbe ilu naa labẹ asia ẹgbẹ ti wọn
pe ni Ọra Solidarity
Front ni wọn ti rawọ ẹbẹ si Gomina
wọn pe ko tete pe Aṣaoni, iyẹn Ọba Joshua Tinuoye Atọlagbe at’awọn isọngbe ẹ pe ki wọn
t’ọwọ ọmọ wọn bọ aṣọ, ki wọn gba alaafia ati iṣọkan laaye lati j’ọba ninu ilu
naa, ati pe ki wọn tete pa ina ogun ti da kalẹ, ki wọn si bọwọ fun ofin.
Ninu lẹta t’awọn eeyan naa fi ranṣẹ si Gomina
Oyetọla l’ọjọ Ẹti Furaide ọsẹ to kọja yii, eyi ti ẹda rẹ tẹ AWIKONKO l’ọwọ
laipẹ yiii ni wọn ti sọ pe awọn iwa ti Kabiyesi wọn n hu l’asiko yii ko ba ti
ọmọluabi mu rara, to si tun tako iwa to ye ki ọba hu lawujọ, ati pe kii ṣe Ọba
t’awọn n fẹ n’ipo.
Lẹta naa re e:
ORA SOLIDARITY FRONT
Akesin Palace Square,
Ora
Igbomina.
24th January, 2020
The
Governor of the State of Osun,
Governor’s
Office, Bola Ige House,
Abere,
Osogbo,
State
of Osun.
Your
Excellency Sir,
ASAONI’S BEAT OF WAR; BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE
Ora
Solidarity Front, on behalf of the entire Ora community under the rulership of
the Akesin of Ora Igbomina finds it critical and imperative to raise alarm on
the recent ill-conceived activities of Asaoni and his co travelers on the part
of perdition to discredit the traditional chieftaincy stool of the Akesin of
Ora Igbomina and to bring the name of our revered monarch, His Royal Majesty
Oba Samuel Oladoye Idowu to disrepute.
Ora
people are traditionally very peaceful and hospitable. We have inhabited the
present location of Ora since 1330AD when Akesin Adebimpe Dajasiju led his
people to Ora Igbomina. Ever since, we became plagued with a virus called the
Okewus that now manifest in Asaoni around 1882AD when they wandered their ways
to Ora having been decimated, beaten, and displaced by the scourge of wars.
Innocently, our Forebears opened their doors and welcomed them with open arms
in the spirit of Yoruba oneness and brotherhood and most specially to provide
succor for a defeated people in search of redemption. Asaoni and his people’s
aggressive tendencies and inordinate ambition to lord themselves over our
people who constituted over 90% of the total population sparked legal fireworks
that lasted years and climax in the Supreme Court. The judgement of the Supreme
Court in Governor, Oyo State v. Folayan [1995] 8 NWLR (Pt. 413) 292 which the
Asaoni bandy about did not say the Akesin of Ora is not entitled to wear beaded
crown but reinstated the fact the Aboderin Commission of Inquiry was merely
advisory as it cannot change or repeal an existing legislation.
Not
satisfied at the decision of the Supreme Court, Asaoni instituted another
matter at the Osun State High Court in Suit No HLR/6/07 seeking among other
reliefs, a “declaration that the decision of the Supreme Court in SC/256/1989
delivered on Friday 1st September, 1995 confirming that the findings of the
Aboderin Commission of Inquiry that Akesin is not an Oba and not entitled to
wear a beaded crown is binding and subsisting.” The judgment of the court per
Justice I. O. Adeleke dismissed the claims of Asaoni in its entirety. The Court
held: “It has been argued by the Plaintiff that the Supreme Court’s decisions
given on the 1st day of September, 1999 in Suit No. SC. 256/1989 emphatically
affirmed that Akesin is not entitled to wear beaded crown and that the said
decision binds all the parties in the Suit and that the 1st and 2nd Defendants
cannot sit as an Appeal Court over a decision of the Supreme Court.
I agree
that the Supreme Court is the final Court of Law in our Land. Its
pronouncements are not only final, but final in its finality. The Court,
subject to the Constitution and existing laws, is the proud goddess of the Law,
who all men must worship.
I have
looked at the Supreme Court’s judgment and I cannot see any place in it where
the Court held that the 3rd Defendant and his successors are not entitled to
wear beaded crown. It was upheld by It was upheld by the Court of Appeal and
the Supreme Court that since there is a subsisting legislation, which
recognized the right of the Akesin and his Successors-in-title to wear beaded
crown, the right cannot be taken away through a press statement issued by the
Executive.
The
Supreme Court never discussed the rightness or wrongness of the Aboderin Commission’s
Report which recommended that Akesin is not entitled to wear beaded crown,
neither did the Supreme Court nullify any provisions of Edit No. 5 of 1977
Legal Notice No. 22 which was the existing chieftaincy declaration in respect
of the Akesin Stool.
To the
best of my knowledge, the decision of the Supreme Court in SC. 256/1989 centres
on the fact and re-enforces the law that the power to confer beaded Crown on
persons, including the Akesin lies solely in the Executive arm of the
Government at the State level- which power is usually exercised through validly
made Laws.
The
Plaintiff in Suit SC. 256/1989 attempted to nullify Edict No.5 or 1977 Legal
Notice No. 22 which recognized Akesin a braded crown via the instrumentality of
the recommendations of the Aboderin Commission, and he failed. He has also now
in this Suit, tried to nullify the Osun State Gazette No.8 vol. 14 of 16th
December, 2004 which recognized the Akesin as a beaded Crown via the
instrumentality of the decision in SC. 256/1989. This again, I believe is
doomed to fail.
I am of
the firm belief that chieftaincy matters are matters for the Residual list and
a State Government has the right to make Laws on matters on the Residual List.
It is not the business of the Court, (in fact any Court) to propagate Laws on
chieftaincy matters. We can only pronounce what the Law is based on existing
Legislations. This is however not to mean that a Chieftaincy Declaration cannot
be challenged in Court. It can in fact be nullified by the Court if the proper
procedures which should lead to the making of the Declaration was not followed.
This is not the case in this matter.”
Interestingly,
there is still another pending litigation in Suit No: HLR/2/19 where the Akesin
and Asaoni have joined issues. If in deed the Supreme Court has decided the
issues as claimed by Asaoni, what then informed his decision to institute Suit
No HLR/6/07 at the High Court and the current case where the issue of beaded
crown was introduced and made an issue by Asaoni? The issue of Akesin beaded
crown is obviously a relitigation of an issue that has been decided by a
competent court, and in this case, the Supreme Court. This is fitting instance
of abuse of court process.
Flowing
from the above, it becoming clear that the Okewus as symbolized by the Asaoni’s
persistently crises-stocking, controversies and seasonally beat the drum of war
is a testimony to the fact that they have no stake in the affairs of Ora. They
care less about the peace, unity, progress as they want the town perpetually
engulfed in crisis at all times as against us the Ora Igbomina who care about
Ora’s peace, unity and development. The Okewus and of course the Asaoni are
like the biblical prostitute in King Solomon’s court who would rather prefer a
living baby slaughtered than live.
It must
be stated that Oba Samuel Oladoye Idowu became the Akesin of Ora-Igbomina
through due process as provided by Edit No. 5 of 1977 Legal Notice No. 22. His
rights to wear beaded crown is rightly recognized by law and was elevated to
the position of a Permanent Member of the Osun State Council of Obas on the 5th
day of May, 2009. However, the Asaoni, who was until 1976 known and addressed
as Asaoni of Okewu-Ora) is a rotational member of the Osun State Council of
Obas.
Let it
be made known that we are never battle weary and cannot be battle wearied. Ora
is our heritage and the past experiences should show the Okewu that population
is power and if lie travels for 100 years, it takes truth a day to catch up
with it. It is funny that a character who is a land grabber and involved in in
land racketeering in Lagos State whose only immunity from justice and EFCC
prying eyes is the cloak of a ‘discredited royalty’ in which he dresses himself
will be calling on EFCC and ICPC to investigate the ancient stool of Akesin
that is fully rooted in law and have been settled by the Supreme Court.
While
we are ever ready to defend our communal legacy before any court of competent
jurisdiction, we find Asaoni’s penchant for using the media – different outlets
and online social media and the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice
(CHRSJ) as instrument to propagating false narratives and defame our cultural
heritage as irresponsible, offensive and very provocative. His recklessness if
unchecked may push us to the point of no return.
It is
curious that this recent avalanche of attacks started after the Asiwaju Yemi
Farounbi led peace initiative brought everybody across the divides to the table
of peace, the first time ever at the Ora country home of Senator Olusola
Adeyeye. The initiative was an opportunity to thank Senator Adeyeye for
facilitating road, educational, water and other projects and for making us
proud as a distinguished senator and also to lunch the tree of peace. Asaoni
and his coconspirators were obviously jolted by the initiative. As war mongers
and Zebras that cannot change their stripes, they launched these fresh
assaults.
No one
is deceived by the latest dimension of involving the so-called Centre for Human
Rights and Social Justice in this matter. We know Asaoni is recruiting them to
fight a battle he had lost at all fronts and in all ramifications. Asaoni’s use
of the CHRSJ to whip up sentiments in a purely non sentimental issue is bound
to fail. The timing of the CHRSJ’s intervention, coming shortly after Asaoni was
trying to lay a legal ambush at Osun State High Court, Ila-Orangun confirms
that. This dimension shows the coward that Asaoni truly is. If Asaoni is an
iota of what he claimed to be, there is no basis for this CHRSJ’s proxy fight.
Let him confront Akesin directly, and as usual, he will have his fingers burnt.
Before
it becomes too late, we have deemed it proper to request your revered office to
call on the Asaoni Oba Joshua Tinuoye Atolagbe and his co travelers to tow the
path of unity and peaceful coexistence by abiding with the law and stop fanning
the embers of war.
It is
our stern believe that he will heed this call to prevent a complete breakdown
of law and order with the attendant serious breach of public peace that is
likely to occur.
We shall
appreciate your kind intervention in this regard.
Thanks
for your anticipated cooperation.
Yours
faithfully,
Prince
Femi Olanipekun
His
Imperial Majesty (HIM) Oba Adéyeyè Enitan Ògúnwùsì (Òjájá II),
Ọọ̀ni
of Ifẹ̀,
Chairman,
Osun State Traditional Council of Obas
HRM Oba
Wahab Kayode Oyedotun Bibire 1
The
Orangun of Ila and President Ila Traditional Council
Orangun
Ila Palace, Ila
Chief
Bisi Akande
Former
Governor of Osun State,
Ila
Orangun, Osun State.
Rt.
Hon. Timothy Owoeye,
Speaker,
Osun State House of Assembly
Gbongan
Road, Osogbo, Osun State.
The
State Director,
Department
of State Services,
Osogbo,
Osun State.
The
Commissioner of Police,
Osun
State Police Command,
Osogbo,
Osun State.
Commissioner
for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters
Ministry
of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs,
Osun
State Government Secretariat,
Osogbo.
Attorney
General and Commissioner for Justice
Ministry
of Justice,
Osun
State Government Secretariat,
Osogbo.
Chairman,
Ifedayo Local Government
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