The Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Adetunji, on Sunday said that the chieftaincy review done by the Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, was reversible.
A statement signed by the monarch’s Director, Media and Public Affairs, Adeola Oloko, said Olubadan’s statement, which was made while receiving hundreds of Baales (family compound leaders) in his palace, was a reaction to Ajimobi’s declaration that the review, which resulted in the installation of 21 new kings in Ibadan by the governor, had come to stay.
The statement said, “The Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, at last Friday’s Eid-el-Maolud celebration at the Remembrance Arcade, Agodi, Ibadan, was quoted as saying that there was no going back on the enthronement of the new kings.
“The legal tussle over the controversial matter between the Oyo State Government and diverse stakeholders in Ibadan land is alive. All parties to the dispute are advised to respect the rule of law by giving the court the chance to play its constitutional role of adjudicating in disputes without let or hindrance.”
The monarch said that the crisis was not a personal fight between him and Ajimobi, noting that many stakeholders, apart from him, had filed suits against the governor, challenging his authority to install traditional kings in Ibadan.
“Some people erroneously believe that the chieftaincy crisis is a personal conflict between Governor Ajimobi and Oba Adetunji. This is wrong. There are at least five suits in respect of the chieftaincy crisis in the Oyo State High Court as we speak. What this shows is that the generality of our people believe that the issue at stake is a matter of great public interest as well as the outcome.
“As Olubadan, I am merely a custodian of the tradition and custom of Ibadan people. With an oath before our forebears, I do not see how, as a monarch, I will compromise the tradition and custom of Ibadan people,” said the monarch.
