By Fatima Zahra Mohammed
Indigenes of Ikirun, headquarters of Ifelodun local government area of Osun state, have reiterated that the town is under the traditional leadership of Oba Yunus Olalekan Akadiri, the Akirun of Ikirun land.
The indigenes of the town under the aegis of Concerned Ikirun Youths declared that the people of the town are solidly behind Oba Akadiri, contrary to an erroneous claim by a politician in the town.
The position of the concerned youths of the town came on the heels of a statement allegedly credited to a politician in the town who was quoted as saying that the town has no traditional ruler while featuring on a live radio programme.
The Concerned youths in a statement issued by their spokesperson, Jimoh Bamiji chastised the politician who is a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for speaking in disparaging manner towards the position of the present Akinrun of Ikirun and warned him not to plunge into an issues outside the sphere of his authority.
Jimoh stated that “We have traditional system in our town that intrinsically gives the power of the selection of Akinrun of Ikirun to the kingmakers only. Therefore, it’s not the business of any politician to dabble into traditional issue.”
He also said that “it will be anomalous and degrading of our traditional value and chieftaincy regulations for such politician to think he has any say either to approve or disapprove the decision of the kingmakers.”
According to him “Oba Akadiri emerged through the only available lay down procedure, by polling six out of seven votes cast by kingmakers who participated in the selection exercise and this bestowed upon him the approval to become the Akinrun.”
The group maintained that Governor Ademola Adeleke remains the only quintessential authority to remove the executive order preventing the Akinrun of Ikirun from occupying the palace of his forefathers and therefore pleaded with Governor Ademola Adeleke to lift the executive order restraining the monarch from entering the palace.
“The traditional palace of our monarch is of prime importance to we the indigenes of Ikirun and our love for the town can not be subjected to psychological debilitating with delay in alloying the Akinrun to occupy the traditional palace,” he added.
Recalled that the state government had presented the staff of office and certificate of installation to Oba Akadiri who emerged the Akinrun of Ikirun at a selection process held by all the kingmakers in the town in accordance with Chieftaincy regulations.
No fewer than 21 Princes had vied for the vacant stool of the Akinrun of Ikirun and a selection process was conducted where Oba Akadiri received approval of six out of the seven kingmakers who participated in the selection.
The development led to the presentation of Oba Akadiri to the state government through the authorities of Ifelodun Local Government Area, thus presented with the instruments of office including the installation certificate and staff of office which authenticated his selection and subsequent appointment as the Akinrun of Ikirun.
The concerned youths noted that the administration of Senator Ademola Adeleke did not dethrone Oba Akadiri but only set up an administrative panel of enquiry to look into the process that led to his appointment as the Akinrun of Ikirun, saying that such practice is not alien to the traditional institution in the state and the country at large.
They warned politicians to desist from issues bothering on traditional institution and concentrate on political matters as they have nothing to do with the traditional issues in their domains.
They described Oba Akadiri as a beneficiary of Court judgment, adding that his selection and subsequent appointment followed due process, culture, tradition and customs of the town.
The group expressed worry on why an indigene of the town who is a politician would go on air to make such fallacious statement capable of throwing the town into violence and anarchy.
They alleged that the same character has always been using his personal relationship with a key government functionary in the state to extort a particular contestant for the stool who failed the election conducted by the kingmakers.
They reminded that the choice of Oba Akadiri was born out of a judgement of an Osun State High Court presided over by Justice Jide Falola which held that the next ruling house after Gboleru should produce the candidate(s) for the stool of Akirun when it was vacant due to the failure of the Gboleru ruling house to produce a common candidate within the time stipulated by the court.
