ABUJA — PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday slammed the Owu (Abeokuta) kingmakers who, on Monday, accused him of annulling the fresh selection process of a new Olowu. The president accused the kingmakers of compromising themselves, and asked that they be disbanded and a new panel of warrant chiefs be appointed to pick a new Olowu.
In a letter to Governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State to explain his (Obasanjo's) role in the matter, President Obasanjo, himself a son of the soil, said: "As I have orally reported to you, the group of warrant chiefs appointed by the Ogun State Government to consider the selection of a candidate for the Owu stool in Owu, Abeokuta met at Owu Palace, Abeokuta on Monday, the 9th of August 2004. The day before, i.e the 8th of August 2004, we had met and urged the family to ensure that all the six (6) candidates presented themselves before the warrant chiefs for the screening, interview and election process.
"In the morning of the 9th of August, four (4) of the aspirants to the stool showed up at the Owu Palace and we were told by the Head of the Ruling Family, Chief Akinhanmi, that the other two (2) candidates were on their way to the venue of the screening and interview exercise. The Head of the Ruling Family identified the four (4) and left the Secretary of the Ruling Family behind to identify the other two whenever they arrived at the palace.
"We waited for one hour for the other two to arrive and thereafter we addressed the four (4) candidates that were present and had been identified, hoping that the other two will arrive before the completion of our exercise. In the process of executing our mandate, I observed the following anomalies which marred the entire process and made it inconclusive and made us unable to complete the exercise:
1) The warrant chiefs had thoroughly compromised themselves to the point that they could not fairly and honestly carry out the sacred responsibility and duty that the state government has entrusted to them. This revealed itself in blatant disregard of the declaration;
2)When we had seen the four aspirants that were available, we got a firm message through the secretary to the local government that a fifth candidate, Aikulola, was less than thirty (30) minutes away from the palace. The warrant chiefs were in an unfair manner unwilling to stay the extra time to give Aikulola a fair chance to be screened and interviewed. This, in my view, was unfair and unjust and manifested a gross dereliction of duty by warrant chiefs in the selection process.
"In the light of these glaring unjust and unfair anomalies, I closed the exercise and declared it inconclusive. May I, therefore, candidly make the following recommendations.
1) The exercise that we carried out on Monday, August 9, 2004 should be accepted as inconclusive and incomplete exercise to select a candidate for Owu stool in Abeokuta;
2) The eight (8) warrant chiefs that the state appointed and with me as chairman should be disbanded as they had compromised themselves, abused their positions, and are thus incapable of conducting a transparent, fair and equitable exercise to satisfy the confidence reposed in them.
"A new panel of warrant chiefs that will not be easily compromised and that would take their sacred responsibilities seriously with fairness and objectivity as their watchwords should be appointed to carry out the exercise whenever the governor decides that the exercise should be so carried out.
"May I thank you on behalf of the warrant chiefs for the opportunity to serve our community especially on behalf of those of us given undeserved second chance which was compromised and abused. May I also caution that the next set of warrant chiefs should be men or women of honour and integrity who cannot be compromised as I strongly believe that Owu stool is priceless and sacred and its integrity must not be compromised by any means, for any price and by and for any individual or group."
