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From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Indigenes of Ikirun, the 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 said: “We have traditional system in our town which intrinsically gives the power of selection of Akinrun of Ikirun to the kingmakers only.
Therefore, it’s not the business of any politician to dabble into traditional issues. 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.
“Oba Akadiri emerged through the only available laid 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 the governor 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 cannot be subjected to psychological debilitating with delay in alloying the Akinrun to occupy the traditional palace,” he added.
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, adding that such practice was 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.
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.
