Ondo:Deji Of Akure Defies Govt, Spits Fire, Insists He Remains Paramount Ruler Of Akureland |The Source

By Ayodele Oni

There is palpable tension in Akure the Ondo State capital, as the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, has called the bluff of the Ondo State Government.

The Government had, in letter to the Deji a couple of days ago, watered down his authority over some areas in Akureland

But he insists that he remains the  authority in .the  two Local Governments – Akure North and South.

A reaction from the Palace on Friday flayed the letter from the Ministry of Local  Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, describing the Permanent Secretary as ignorant of the existing law.

The statement, signed by the Chief Secretary to the Deji, Mr Michael Adeyeye, reads: “For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to set the record straight.

“We received a letter from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs signed by its Permanent Secretary and dated 7/4/2021.

“He enumerated some communities where there are purported disputes over chieftaincy related issues and requested to investigate.

“The letter was written barely a month after the resumption of the permanent secretary who had little or no knowledge of an already existing judgment which had settled the case(s) upon which the letter was premised.

“Upon the receipt of the letter, the Deji through his counsel replied the Ministry to inform her of an existing court judgment in respect of the matter.

“It is imperative to state that the permanent secretary acted erroneously with the matter and it had since be settled.

“Equally, it is worthy to state that the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs was equally a co-defendant in the suit number AK/28/2017 filed at the Ondo State High Court by the Akure North Monarchs in which Judgment had been given wherein all the claims of the Obas of Akure North Local Government against the Deji were dismissed.

“It is laughable that those who are claimants in the case will claim ignorance of the judgment and still go ahead to misinform the Ministry on the status-quo.

“Interestingly, all the Communities enumerated in the said letter were rightly adjudged in favour of the Deji of Akure Kingdom to be under his control.

“The Communities include, but not limited to Eleyowo, Isinigbo, Ayetoro and many others. The extant position, therefore, remains that;

“From time immemorial, the entire Akure Land has been under the hegemony of the Deji of Akure. By virtue of his said position, the Deji was the paramount ruler over the entire Akure land as well as being the consenting authority over all minor Chiefs, Olus and Baales under him.

“That prior to the bifurcation of Akure Local Government, the Deji of Akure by virtue of his position is the prescribed authority, was empowered traditionally and in law to appoint and consent the appointment of minor chiefs within the land not minding the bifurcation of the old Local Government into Akure North and South.

“It is on record that soon after the Judgment of the High Court, the Akure North Monarchs apparently dissatisfied with the judgment decided to appeal the judgment which is pending before the Akure Judicial Division of the Court of Appeal.

“It is important to alert the public that the Monarchs had abandoned the case they instituted at the appeal court but rather chose to bamboozle the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs into taking an uninformed decision.

“Ironically, the Ministry is also a defendant in the case instituted by the Obas in Akure North which was dismissed.

“It is important to emphasize that he who wants equity must come with clean hands. We urge those who have pending cases to pursue them rather than resorting to self-help through peddling of falsehood.

“We urge the good people of Akure Kingdom both at home and in diaspora and the general public to disregard the content of the misleading story being circulated by some resentful individuals with perverse mind in its entirety.

“We equally appeal to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to enlighten the general public, the Obas in Akure North and those concerned of the errors contained in its said letter of 7/4/2021 and 19/4/2021.

“We wish to also appreciate the Ondo State Governor for his understanding and his unrelenting efforts at uniting all communities and forestalling any form of ill feelings that could trigger crises in all communities across the State.”