COMMUNITY SET FOR SHOWDOWN WITH AKALA OVER ALLEGED PLAN TO IMPOSE MONARCH

The people of Ado-Awaye in the Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State, are poisedset for a showdown with the state government over an alleged plan by the Governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, to impose a traditional ruler on them.

The community which has been without any traditional ruler for the past 27years due to what they called the political intrigues on the part of the state government, accused Governor Akala of attempting to install a candidate in the town, contrary to a court ruling that the community should maintain the status quo by reverting to the previous arrangement of rotational kingship in the town.

In a statement signed by Mr. Koleoso Adelowo on behalf of the community which was made available to journalists in Ibadan, the community also accused the state government of being partial, midwife and arm-twisting the perfect arrangement put in place by the town.

But the state government, in a reaction, through the governor's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications, Dotun Oyelade  described the allegation as untrue and a fall out of political intrigues ahead of the 2011 general elections.

The government said: 'The allegation should be put down to election-year syndrome. The governor is not contemplating such thing and ACN should be blamed for the rumour peddling. At the end of the day, the dispassionate stance of government will rubbish the claim of those frantic to shake off and imminent electoral defeat'.

Ado-Awaye community in the statements said: 'Early this year, the kingmakers of Ado-Awaye were summoned by the government through Iseyin Local Government to pressure them to succumb to the governor's candidate's endorsement even at the expense of explanations and history made available to government officials.

The statement reads 'Every attempt by the community to dissuade Governor Akala from imposing his candidate on them had fallen on the deaf hears.  He did not see reason with the position of the kingmakers who told government officials how the town has been administered for the past 27years by appointing its king in rotational order among the ruling houses in the town.

'The government has rebuffed every reasonable and wise advice. Instead to mediate responsibly as a democratic government, the governor is using Iseyin Local Government Council to force the kingmakers to adopt his candidate.

'The aftermath of the kingmakers' refusal to endorse Akala's candidate earned them deposition with the exception of Asaoye, Chief Salau  Olaleye, who is the fourth in command in the hierarchy of kingmakership in Ado-Awaye.

'Governor Akala through Iseyin Local Government appointed Warrant Chiefs for the town in the modern day Nigeria instead of the substantive kingmakers.

Nigeria is not under colonial administration but Akala could not think of alternative way to mediate but to depose the king makers in anticipation that the warrant chiefs he appointed in disguise will do the hatchet job, endorsing his candidate from Oladunni ruling house, who is from the same lineage with the immediate past Oba Olakisokun Ayisa. The court has adjudicated but he rubbished the court's decision to arm-twist the community.'

The statement added that since Ado-Awaye  has four ruling houses; Maku, Olaogun, Olusosun and Oladunni; by the arrangement, Maku Ruling House suppose to ascend the throne now followd by Olaogun and Olusosun but the governor prefers to have a candidate from Oladunni family installed.