Prince Lukman Gbadegesin, an Alaafin of Oyo candidate, has demanded the removal of Oba Abimbola Owoade within 30 days.
Seyi Makinde, Oyo State Governor, approved Owoade as the Alaafin on Friday and presented him with a staff of office and letter of appointment on Monday.
This appointment has drawn mixed opinions in the past few days, especially because the Oyomesi, the historical Oyo council of kingmakers, had favoured Gbadegesin to sit on the throne of the Alaafin.
However, Makinde, the appointing authority, refused to approve Gbadegesin’s appointment because the selection process that produced him was tainted with corruption and bribery accusations.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: Makinde Appoints Abimbola Owoade as New Alaafin
Following Owoade’s appointment, Gbadegesin and five aggrieved Oyo kingmakers issued a 30-day ultimatum, directing the governor to reverse the appointment or face legal action.
Gbadegesin issued the ultimatum through a letter written by Kunle Sobaloju, SAN, his lawyer. The letter is dated January 14.
This letter described Owoade’s appointment as illegal, unlawful and unprocedural, with claims that the governor took over the role of the Oyomesi in the selection of an Alaafin.
The letter demands the nullification of Prince Owoade’s appointment as the Alaafin of Oyo, citing violations of the Chief’s Law of Oyo State (2000) and the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961.
It also states that Gbadegesin was validly selected by the kingmakers to fill the stool of the Alaafin of Oyo and should be recognised as the rightful candidate for the throne.
Gbadegesin’s demands, through his lawyer, also include: “An order of injunction restraining Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade from parading himself as Alaafin of Oyo and or performing the functions of the Alaafin of Oyo or exercising the powers or authority attached to the office and or occupying the stool of the Alaafin of Oyo.
“An order of interlocutory injunction restraining the Governor, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, their agents servants and or privies from recognising Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade as Alaafin of Oyo and or paying him the stipends, allowances, salaries and all the prerequisites of office attached to the position of Alaafin of Oyo.”
FIJ also obtained audio recordings from an insider, capturing Gbadegesin addressing his loyalists and supporters. He is heard encouraging them and hinting that Owoade’s appointment is a temporary setback.
“Don’t let them see you as defeated. There is no defeat. It is God who appoints kings. Take heart. If I am not fretting, you should not fret. I beg you. I know it is a wound of the heart. But nothing can heal the wound of the heart except prayers,” said Gbadegesin in Yoruba.
“I beg you. Don’t be discouraged and don’t fight anyone. They will insult and mock you. Just face God. Don’t reply to anyone. This is just a temporary setback. But we will laugh at last.
“If you know you are not with us wholeheartedly, please, leave. If you refuse to do so, God’s anger will descend on you. And those of you who have been supporting us wholeheartedly, I appreciate your support.”
Different FIJ reports have detailed how Gbadegesin dealt dishonestly with former business partners and acquaintances. He failed to settle a N48m debt to a friend despite budgeting N200 million to lobby for the Alaafin throne.
In 2022, FIJ exposed Gbadegesin for the multimillion-naira debts he created for Akin Adejumo, an engineer and business partner. A petition written to the police had accused him of withholding Adejumo’s N64 million since 2015.
Also, FIJ reported on how two Oyomesi chiefs told the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that Gbadegesin had offered each of the five kingmakers N15 million in bribes during the selection process for the Alaafin.
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