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Owu stool: President rejects nominee
•Accuses selection panel of sell-out
LERE OJEDOKUN, Abuja and
KOLA ADEPOJU, Abeokuta
CONTROVERSY
over the selection of a new Olowu of Owu, Abeokuta, Ogun State deepened
yesterday as President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is the chairman of the eight-man
selection committee, asked the state government to disband it (committee).
The action came 24 hours after kingmakers
accused the President of tearing the election result sheet for a new Olowu
because his favoured candidate did not win.
But the alleged favoured candidate, Chief
Sanya Dosunmu, has described as baseless the allegation by the kingmakers that
the President nullified the election of Prince Sina Fadairo as new
Olowu.
In a letter to Gov. Gbenga Daniel
reference marked Press/44 and dated August 10, 2004 the President alleged that
the committee made up of warrant chiefs, has compromised, abused their positions
and was incapable of conducting a transparent, fair and equitable exercise.
Obasanjo, who is the Balogun of Owu
and most senior chief in the ancient town, also called for the setting up of a
new "panel of warrant chiefs that will not be easily compromised."
The state government had set up the
warrant chiefs, chaired by the President, to screen, interview and elect a
successor to the late Olowu, Oba Adisa Olawale Odeleye, who joined his
ancestors over a year ago.
There are six contestants to the vacant
stool and on December 29 last year, the kingmakers elected Prince Fadairo by
five to three votes, but the exercise was trailed by controversy.
The chiefs also met last Monday with
President Obasanjo in attendance where they had requested the ruling houses to
represent the six candidates for screening, interview and election.
But by Monday, five of the kingmakers
addressed journalists in Abeokuta, the state capital, endorsing the choice of
Prince Fadairo, even vowing to die if he was not installed as the new Olowu.
They further accused Obasanjo of tearing
the election result sheet at their meeting last Monday, insinuating that he (the
President) objected to the exercise because his candidate, Chief Dosunmu, 73,
was not favoured.
In his defence, President Obasanjo said
only four of the six candidates eventually showed up at the Monday’s screening,
after being identified by the Head of the ruling family, Chief Akinhanmi.
He said the exercise was, however, marred
by certain anomalies and therefore, was inconclusive.
"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 blantant disregard of the
declaration," Obasanjo alleged.
"When we had seen the four aspirants that
were available, we got a firm message through the secretary to the (Abeokuta
North) local government that a fifth candidate-Aikulola-was less than 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," he
submitted.
In the light of these "glaring unjust and
unfair anomalies," President Obasanjo in his recommendation to Gov. Daniel
stated that the exercise that we carried out on Monday, August 9, 2004, should
be accepted as inconclusive and incomplete to select a candidate for Owu stool
in Abeokuta."
"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 carried out," he recommended.
President Obasanjo, on behalf of the
chiefs, thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve the community, but
"cautioned" that "the next set of warrant chiefs should be men or women of
honour and integrity who cannot be compromised."
The "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," he said.
Reacting to the allegation that Obasanjo
annulled Fadairo’s purported election, Prince Dosunmu who polled three votes
behind Fadairo, said the President did not tear the election result sheet as
claimed by the kingmakers.
Dosunmu stated that the President only
suspended the election over alleged fraud and nepotism by the kingmakers.
He, however, assured that the feud would
be amicably resolved, saying that all the parties involved and the Owu
people are ready to tread the path of peace in the matter.
"Owu people are peaceful people, but as
far as the struggle for Olowu stool is concerned, all the candidates and
the kingmakers want peace to reign," he declared.
Prince Dosunmu assured that the annual
Owu Day celebration would hold on Saturday contrary to threats by some of
the kingmakers.
The duo of prominent Owu illustrious sons, Prince Bola
Ajibola, a former Attorney General and Justice Minister and Chief Ola Yusuf
declined comments on the issue.
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