Indigenes of Irese in Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State have appealed to Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, to prevail on the Local Government Chairman, Engr. Alex Oladimeji to allow a smooth selection and installation of a new King; the Olurese of Irese.
The people accused Engr. Oladimeji of halting the selection and installation of a new Oba for the community because of his affinity with a very influential indigene of the town.
Speaking with PRESENT NIGERIA, the Secretary of the town, Mr. Daniel Oni said all the kingmakers were ready to install a new King for the community but fingered the Council boss influencing the process.
He said the Ministry of Local Government Chieftaincy Affairs had given the kingmakers fourteen days notice to carry out the selection process. They went to the Council to inform the officials but the Council unilaterally postponed it without consulting the kingmakers and without any explanation.
Mr. Oni explained that when the kingmakers expressed their grievances, the Council gave another date but also postponed it, citing logistics as reasons.
According to him, the council has remained silent over the matter ever since and has refused to continue with the process.
Also speaking, the Odofin of Irese land, Chief Tunde Omoseni said they could not understand the reason why the Council would deliberately stall the installation of a new King for the town.
Omoseni said when the Ministry of Local Government Chieftaincy Affairs invited the kingmakers to elect a new King for the community, the people of the town were elated because they had waited for such, but was shocked when the same Council also tactically stalled the process.
“It was a surprise to us that whenever the Council said they wanted to elect a king for us, they will not contact us if there’s any change of date. It’s until we get to the Council that they will tell us that it had been postponed”
He said since the second postponement, the Council has not shown any sign of seriousness on the matter and when the kingmakers went back to the Council to ask about what was delaying the process, the officials simply cited logistics and security reasons.
“As we are talking with you now, we are just coming from the Council but they still postponed it and told us to be patient that the Local Government Chairman is not around and has not given them the permission to go on with the process” he said.
Alhaji Raji Omoyemi, also an indigene of the community, corroborated the narration of Chief Tunde Omoyemi and appealed to the Council Chairman to approve the selection process of a new King for the community.
“Our people are looking forward to having a new King. Since the throne became vacant, lot of things have been eluding the community”.
One of the kingmakers and the Osemawe of Irese land, Chief Mrs Morenike Akinyemi said the kingmakers were not happy with the way the Council Chairman was handling the matter.
She said “we the kingmakers are ready to elect a new King for the community but the Council officials are deliberately stalling the process.”
She said the kingmakers had gone to the Local Government more than five times without any fruitful result.
She begged the Council boss to give his approval to the selection process and announce a date for the commencement of the process.
Chief Mrs Akinyemi said all the kingmakers were ready to select a new King and adhere strictly to the rules.
“I should have travelled out of the community by now but I couldn’t because I must participate in the selection process. I must wait until the Council approves the selection process”
The Oduwo of Irese land, Chief Alex Igbekele said that all the steps needed to be taken by the chiefs in the town have been taken, that was why he was made the Secretary of the Chieftaincy Committee by the Community.
He said the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs has given its approval and has also communicated same to the Local Government, but was startled that the Local Government began to play pranks on the matter, giving frivolous excuses.
Chief Oduwo added that when the kingmakers sought to know the logistics problem hindering the selection process, the Local Government officials simply told them that the security report on the matter was not favourable.
This according to him was contrary to the security report given to the community which indicated that the town was peaceful and could go ahead with the process.
He said the morale of the people has gone down because they have been preparing for a new King, but the postponements and eventual halting of the process was frustrating to the people.
He appealed to the Council boss to approve the selection of a new King for the town without delay as necessary arrangements have been put in place and the town is peaceful.
However, some prominent sons and daughters of the community confided in PRESENT NIGERIA that some powerful indigenes of the town were responsible for the delay of a new King for the town because their preferred candidate was not favoured to emerge as Oba-elect.
According to them, those powerful individuals have written to the Chairman of the Council not to approve the selection process, and the Council boss was relying on that.
” Some powerful people in the town are the ones causing the delay in selecting and installing a new King for the town because they are the ones who wrote a petition to the Council Chairman to stall the process. They are friends and allies of the Council Chairman”
Meanwhile, the Regent of the community, Mrs. Juliet Damilola Falegan had threatened to vacate the throne if government fails to select a new King for the town soon.
“When I was picked to be the Regent of the town, I didn’t know that it will take so long to install a new king”, she said.
She called on all stakeholders to speed up efforts at installing a new king for the community.
Reacting to the allegations, the Local Government Chairman, Mr. Oladimeji said some people in the town actually wrote a petition to the Council that selecting an Oba for the town presently might lead to breakdown of peace in the community.
“He said he was still studying the situation on ground and would decide on what to do next.
The Chairman however appealed to the people of the town to be calm and allow peace to reign.
