Allow us to pick our traditional ruler — Ifon indigenes tells Ondo Govt
By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure
Concerned sons and daughters of Ifon town in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo state have raised the alarm over the planned imposition of an individual on the town as the next Olufon of Ifon by the Ondo State Government.
Recall that the seat of Olufon of Ifon had became vacant since November, 2020 followed the killing of the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Israel Adeusi by some gunmen suspected to be kidnappers while returning to Ifon from Akure after a meeting.
But speaking on behalf of the princes and the entire people of Ifon, on Monday in Akure, the Ondo state capital, Prof. Adetokunbo Adeola, said the town needs an acceptable traditional rulers of their own choice that would be freely selected by the Ifon kingmakers through the guidance of the gods of their land.
According to him, the Ondo State Government in its letter dated 18th May, 2022, had directed the Umaugba ruling house in Ifon town to produce a candidate, or candidates for the Olufon stool.
But Adetokunbo said the choice and preference of the Umaugba ruling house by the Ondo State Government over the other ruling houses who are supposed to be the next in line of succession according to the 1968 Olufon Chieftaincy declaration, is now being challenged in the Court of law in Owo.
He said “An interlocutory injunction restraining the Ifon kingmakers from acting on the State Government’s directives to select the next Olufon of Ifon, pending the hearing of the motion on notice was subsequently granted in May, 22nd, 2022.
“While the motion on notice was yet to be heard at the High Court in Owo, one of the Princes from the Umaugba ruling house, who had been parading himself everywhere in the town as the anointed Government’s candidate, being an APC stalwart, while sensing that the presiding Judge in Owo was not prepared to do their biddings, hurriedly wrote a frivolous petition against him, just to ensure the transmission of the case to the Ondo State Chief Judge, for reassignment to another Judge in Akure, who, according to him, had been contacted and directed by the ‘power that be’ to sit in his chambers and vacate the interlocutory injunction without hearing the motion on notice, as soon as the case file gets to him.
“We have also heard from the acclaimed government’s anointed candidate that all arrangements had been put in place to vacate the interlocutory injunction on Tuesday, 5th of July, 2022, while his selection as the Olufon elect by some of the kingmakers had been slated for Thursday, 7th of July, 2022, somewhere outside Ifon town.
“Just recently and surprisingly too, some notable APC members and top political office holders from Ose Local Government Area, who are not from Ifon town, had been reaching out to some of the Ifon kingmakers, while claiming that the Ondo State Governor had given them the assignments to ensure the selection of the acclaimed Government’s candidate and that they are going to give it all it takes to get about eight out of the fourteen kingmakers to the side of the acclaimed anointed candidate to pave way for his selection in a clandestine manner.”
Adetokunbo, however, appeal to the Ondo State Government and every politician that had been assigned to unduly interfere in the traditional process of selecting the next Olufon of Ifon, to desist from playing politics with the matter.
“The Ifon kingmakers should be allowed to search for and select the next Olufon of Ifon in the traditional means as laid down by our forefathers.
“We also appeal to the Ondo State Government, that the Ondo State Judiciary be allowed to resolve the Olufon Chieftaincy matter that is now before it, without undue interference from any quarters.
“We say no to any planned imposition of an individual on us as the next Olufon of Ifon, as our custom and tradition can never be sacrificed on the altar of any political party membership,” he said.
