OSI Olubadan of Ibadanland and former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, has said the state governor has shown beyond reasonable doubt that he is the prime target of the review of the Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration by asking him to either “join in the mockery of obaship and agree to be made a government-appointed oba” or forfeit his right to the throne.
Ladoja, who spoke through his media aide, Alhaji Lanre Latinwo, said he remained the Osi Olubadan of Ibadanland and would neither agree to being a government-appointed oba with no domain, chiefs and subjects nor “support an attempt at desecrating the Olubadan throne.”
Latinwo, in the statement, said “thousands of Ajimobi can’t stop Ladoja from becoming the Olubadan if it is the will of God,” advising the governor to stop playing God.
“High Chief Ladoja believes that only God chooses the Olubadan, as clearly demonstrated in the divine enthronement of the current Olubadan, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Saliu Adetunji, who was three steps to the throne.
“May God lengthen the years and reign of Oba Adetunji in sound health. We would like to make it clear that thousands of Ajimobi can’t stop Ladoja from becoming the Olubadan if it is the will of God.
“People continue to ask the question of why the mockery of obaship in Ibadanland is the most important thing to Ajimobi of all the challenges facing his government. It is now clear that Ajimobi has found in this futile exercise a distraction from his six years of misgovernment in the state.
“Ajimobi is using temporary executive power for an ego trip and feels that he is humiliating perceived enemies and also playing God. Why should the governor turn himself into a kingmaker, ignoring the long-established peaceful, self-reforming chieftaincy system of Ibadanland that has become the envy of many cities because it is rancour-free?
“Today, August 29, marks exactly 21 months to the expiry of Ajimobi’s governorship. The state will surely be freed from the stranglehold of the Emperor and the office will outlive the officer. Very soon, Ajimobi’s portrait will join those of ex-governors hung on the wall of the Executive Council Chambers. Whatever has a beginning must surely have an end.
“Again, we would like to appeal to the people of Ibadanland to remain calm and peaceful, even in the face of provocation, as this misuse of power, pursuit of vendetta and bastardisation of a rancour-free process will be challenged to the end through constitutional and peaceful means.
“High Chief Ladoja is already in court over the matter, and we await a judicial pronouncement on it soon. Ajimobi, who set up a panel disregarding the Ibadan traditional system, received its report and interpreted its recommendations to suit his selfish agenda against the popular wish of the people of Ibadan and the Olubadan. This is laughable.
“Without recourse to the State House of Assembly, which has the constitutional duty to make or amend laws, he has appropriated legislative function and added such to his executive role. This charade can’t obviously pass a judicial challenge.
“We ask him to enjoy the remaining months of his governorship while it lasts.
“We wish to remind him that he has booked an unenviable chapter for himself in the annals of the history of Ibadan, and posterity will judge him.”
