Ibadan Obas Distance Selves From Purported Peace Move

The elevated Ibadan obas have denounced the purported peace move being made by some parties involved in the crisis rocking the Ibadan Traditional Council, describing same as a ruse and misleading.

The crisis, which has pitched the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, against the members of the Olubadan-in-Council, may be far from being over, with the latest development.

A section of the media had on Thursday reported the peace move, claiming that they were privy to a document which contained the terms of the peace initiative.

But the elevated obas said the move was outside their knowledge and have no input from them and as such, would not be accepted by them for any reason.

The Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, who reacted on behalf of the other obas and members of the Olubadan-in-Council, described the alleged peace move as out of tune with them.

Oba Balogun, who is the next in rank to Olubadan and the leader of the 21 Obas crowned by the former Governor Abiola Ajimobi on 27th August, 2017, said there was no way any move could be made in their absence, being the direct beneficiaries of the law that granted them the elevation.

Balogun said, “We are not averse to peaceful resolution of the impasse which was unnecessary in the first instance and which informed the recent rapprochement between the Olubadan and some of us.”

He stated that smuggling in a peace initiative that the obas were not part of through the backdoor is not acceptable and the process in its entirety is rejected.

The Otun Olubadan disclosed, “What’s more, the Oyo State Government Gazette No 3 Vol.43 dated 29th March, 2018, which the said document ferociously attacked and which put a seal on our elevation, is not presently a subject of litigation at any court of law.”

He explained that attempts to dubiously smuggle the said gazette into the appeal case in which the litigant sought to set it aside, was thrown out with the judge describing such a move as ‘an abuse of court process, vexatious and frivolous’.

Oba Balogun reiterated that, “Do we now conclude that what the litigant could not achieve in a court of law, they wish to achieve it through the backdoor? We say no to such dubious arrangement.We equally reiterate that as much as we are for peace, unity and progress of our land, whatever peace process or initiative that will be sustaining must have our inputs”