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| Photo credit: kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com |
The Akui family of the Osinkola
Ruling House of Ife, has denounced the rotation approach to the ascendancy to
the stool of the Ooni of Ife which became vacant following the demise of the
late Oba Okunade Sijuwade on July 28.
The family, whose speech was read by
Prince Adetowo Aderemi, at a press conference in Osogbo on Friday, described
the rotation order as unconstitutional.
The family rejected the order which
they said was at variance with the customs and tradition of Ife Kingdom and the
Yoruba race.
The family said an open contest to
select the most credible prince to ascend the throne would be fair and
beneficial to all the ruling houses.
Aderemi said, “There is no rotation
in the selection of an Ooni. There has never been and there should never be.
Even the chieftaincy legislation implicitly recognises this when dealing with
one ruling house; no rotation is required in respect of such a ruling house.
This is historically important because of the symbolic position of Ile-Ife to
the Yoruba people.
“The best candidate from all the
eligible princes has always been chosen. To unlawfully deprive candidates from
three ruling houses/branches on the basis of an illegal policy of rotation
would be to desecrate the primacy of the Ooni stool.
“Rotation does not exist in Benin or
in Ibadan. It does not exist in Sokoto, neither does it exist in Kano. Why
should our own paramount ruler be different? Rotation, according to the
relevant legislation can only exists in circumstances where there is more than
one ruling house. There is in reality only one ruling house in Ile Ife. The
late Ooni Aderemi’s letter of July 28, 1930 conclusively proves this.”
While Osinkola rejected the rotation
order, the Lafogido Ruling House said that other ruling houses in the town had
consistently marginalised the family in producing occupants to the Ooni’s
stool.
A former Deputy Governor of Osun
State, Prince Adeleke Adewoyin, who is also the head of the Lafogido Ruling
House, said this at a separate press conference in Osogbo on Friday.
Adewoyin said it was now the turn of
the Lafogido Ruling House to produce the successor of the late Oba Okunade
Sijuwade, who died in London on July 28.
Adewoyin, who said Ife originally
had two ruling houses: Lafogido and Lajodogun who were the two children of
Lajamisan, added that while Osinkola, Ogboru and Giesi belonged to the
Lajodogun Ruling House, Lafogido was not split.
He said that Lajodogun produced four
Ooni in a space of 121 years while Lafogido produced just one.
According to him, the Ooni Olubuse 1
who reigned from 1894-1910 was produced by Ogboru/Lajodogun; Ooni- elect
Adekola; from 1910-1910 was produced by Osinkola/ Lajodogun); Ooni Ademiluyi
Ajagun, 1910-1930 was from Lafogido; Ooni Aderemi from 1930-1980 was from
Osinkola/Lajodogun while the late Sijuwade was produced by Ogboru/ Lajodogun.
He said, “ From the above
expatiations on the rulership of Ife Kingdom from the modern Ife which
commenced from Ooni Lajamisan, it is evident and axiomatic that the
preponderance of reigning Ooni’ had come largely from Lajodogun Ruling House at
the disadvantage of Lafogido Ruling House.
“Consequently, the anomaly should be
seriously looked into and corrected by the appropriate authorities and
therefore in our opinion, Lafogido Ruling House should produce the next Ooni of
Ife.”
Meanwhile, a group, The Cradle
Youths, has warned Ife king makers not to make anyone already conferred with a
chieftaincy title the successor of the late Sijuwade
The coordinator of the Ile-Ife based
group, Mr. Kunle Elusayo, in a statement issued at Ile-Ife on Sunday also said
that it was an abomination for princes to be conferred with chieftaincy title
in Ile-Ife and Yoruba land.
He emphasised that any princes who
had accepted chieftaincy title had forfeited his chance of becoming an Ooni.
Elusayo said, “Princes are never
conferred with Chieftaincy title, once a prince is always a prince. This is a
popular Yoruba custom and adage. It is therefore odd to see chiefs coming out
to say they want to be Ooni, which is impossible. Their declaration of
intention is in the first place an embarrassment of our tradition. It is an
abuse on our collective intelligence and indigence.
“We fully trust the King makers but
we sincerely call their attention to the above stated facts. In most cases,
Chieftaincy tittles were conferred on people of integrity, prominence and
charismatic to honour them, if they are not princes of the town in Ife. This is
the singular reason why no prince is a chief. If not for this, a king would
have also given all his children (son) chiefs.”
Culled from: EMPOWEREDNEWSWIRE
