42 Months after, Oloola Stool Remains Vacant; Case held up in Court
..Residents Groan of Stalled Progress
Residents of Ilara town in Imeko-Afon LGA of Ogun State have expressed disappointment over the lingering crisis among aspirants to the stool of Oloola of Ilara. This crisis has stalled the process of crowning a successor to the late Oloola- Oba Samuel Alabi Adeluyi whose demise was announced on the 20th of March 2020.
The three major contenders to the stool are Alhaji Mutiu Lawal-Oyede of Faningbe ruling house, Elder David Opeilu of Igbaka ruling house and Mr. Kehinde Adesina of Faningbe ruling house.
Concerned members of the community has clarified that both Faningbe and Igbaka are a single ruling house united and it was fair that a candidate may come from either of the two to represent Faningbe/Igbaka ruling house.
It was reported that each of the two houses has presented a candidate for the kingmakers to endorse one, but two candidates have emerged from Faningbe, complicating the process of selection.
Previous attempts by the kingmakers to arrive at one candidate out of the three was said to have been disrupted by hooligans allegedly sponsored by one of the candidates Mr. Kehinde Adesina, while subsequent attempts were made impossible as the said Mr. Kehinde Adesina has filed for litigation and the case held up in court.
Faningbe disowns Adesina
In a recent release by the Secretary of the Faningbe ruling house Mr. Olanrewaju Adebiyi, it was made known that the entire family has agreed that the kingship tussle be settled out of court and that Mr. Kehinde Adesina should withdraw litigation, a plea which he has declined.
This has led to the move by Faningbe house to distance itself from the litigation and as a family-sponsor of Adesina; confirmed by the letter written to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs distancing the family from the activities of Mr. Adesina.
To further prove its rejection of Adesina, Faningbe decides to join its case with the defendant to form a united front against the disgruntled Mr. Adesina
In another light, Adebiyi revealed that the said Mr. Adesina was convicted for defamation having been sued in another case for defamation of character by the family.
Ilara residents groan of stalled progress
Meanwhile, the residents of Ilara have on various occasions complained that the absence of a King to steer the traditional affairs of the town shortchanged them in fully benefiting their due quota of development projects and their due respect in the local government and at the state level.
They said this was due to a lack of a royal figure to represent their interests, while other towns have their kings in roundtables to take home what’s due to their people.
Further, cultural programmes such as Ogudo Day and other significant traditional activities have been put on hold for over three years in high expectation that the matter will be resolved with no court delays or that the matter be withdrawn by the litigant to open ways for alternative means of resolution.
However, this end is not yet in sight as Mr. Adesina has remained unyielding to the pleas.
