OgijoO Obaship Tussle: Family Protest Against Proposed Iinstallation

Omooba Risawe

A   family from Melufon-Opowo ruling house in Ogijo town, Sagamu local government area  of Ogun State has kicked against proposed installation of next traditional ruler ‎of the town.

The protesters under the Rogbuwa branch of the ruling house marched to the governor’s office Abeokuta to express their grievances over the planned installation.

They thereafter met  Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr.  Jide Ojuko who later went into a closed door meeting with them which lasted for about an hour.

In similar vein,the agrrieved family members  also urged the State‎ Governor,  Senator Ibikunle Amosun to cancel the nomination process held by the Ruling House at a meeting on the 8th November, 2016 which produced Kazeem Gbadamosi from the Okuselu ruling house.

They alleged further  that the process which produced Kazeem Gbadamosi as the Oba-elect as fraught with “massive interference, manipulation, distortion, outright mutilation and substitution of the minutes of the meeting” by Sagamu local government officials to favour a particular candidate who is not qualified to be an oba in the town.

However, Secretary of the Rogbuwa branch, Alhaji Mutiu Kalejaiye Ateroko while addressing journalists  said the candidate which the Okuselu Ruling house picked as the heir was from the female lineage of the Ruling House which was against 2004 gazette of the State government for towns.

He said they have written so many petitions and letters on the issue to the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr.  Taiwo Adeoluwa and Ojuko.

Kalejaiye alleged that some officials of the local council connived with the Family Head of Melufen Opowo Royal Family, Dr. Ajayi Bembe to subvert an extant law by devolving the nomination of candidates to a female line when the family, at the meeting, had nominated Princes Lookman Olamide Kalejaiye Ateroko and Moshood Ademola Kalejaiye Ateroko, from the male line.

He said the decision of Bembe and others was in fragrance with “the provision of Ogun state Declaration of 2004 under Section 4 (2) of the Chiefs Law regulating the selection of the Ologijo of Ogijo chieftaincy, which stipulated “that persons who may proposed as candidates by a ruling house entitled to fill a vacancy in the chieftaincy shall be: (a) members of the ruling house (b) on the male line, provided that succession may devolve on the female line where is no qualified candidates of the male line”.

Also speaking,Ateroko urged the Governor to order a suspension of the entire nomination process, while an appropriate notice be issued for the conduct of a fairer and properly monitored nomination exercise.

He said, the commissioner assured them that “there would be stoppage on whatever activity on the installation of the new Ologijo of Ogijo”.

Asked whether they have confidence in the meeting,  he disclosed “Alot of people we trusted have failed us,  we were expecting a direct reply of this action from the State Governor”.

But the Commissioner after the meeting refused to talk with the press, but sources within the Ministry revealed that the Okuselu ruling house have been invited by the Commissioner.