ONI’S AIDE BERATES ONISAN OVER PARTISAN COMMENTS

By Lere Olayinka

Chief Media Aide to Chief Olusegun Oni, former governor of Ekiti State, Mr Wale OJo-Lanre has described call by the Onisan of Isan-Ekiti, Oba Sunday Ajiboye for saying that pasts administration in the State punished the people of the town because of their support for Governor Kayode Fayemi, saying; “Such comment is unbecoming of a traditional ruler, who is suppose to be non partisan.”

He said several projects were executed in Isan by the Oni-led government and it remained on record that when the Onisan solicited for rehabilitation of a dilapidated primary school building when former governor, Chief Segun Oni visited Isan, Oni directed that the building be pulled down and reconstructed instead, and this was done to Oba Ajiboye's admiration. A storey building block of classrooms was also built in the town while Isan-Ilemeso road was constructed.

Ojo-Lanre, who was reacting to newspaper report credited to the Onisan that the Segun Oni-led government “transferred state officials working in the town without replacing them and that virtually all the public schools in the town were empty because their teachers were transferred out of the town without anybody replacing them,” said the monarch was being economical with the truth.

He faulted the monarch's claim that teachers were transferred from the town arbitrarily saying; “No indigene of Isan was victimised by the Oni-led government.”

He said; “when official vehicles were being given to traditional rulers in the State; Onisan got his due like other first class monarchs in the State with do special treatment accorded the Olufaki of Ifaki, Oni's hometown.”

On the burning of the Obas palace, Ojo-Lanre said; “The man should blame his partisanship and wicked act against his own people for the incident.

“It was under his direct supervision that 16 houses belonging to his subjects were destroyed, immediately the result of the April 14, 2007 governorship election was declared and Fayemi, his subject lost. The only sin committed by the owners of the 16 houses was that they supported the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“Also, in 2009, Onisan was directly involved in the burning of a former Secretary to Ekiti State Government, Chief Bade Gboyega's Estate in Isan after the result of the rerun governorship election was announced. Apart from Chief Gboyega's Estate, houses belonging to Mr Kupoluyi, Mr. Ajeolakun and S.S. Agbelusi were destroyed.

“It was in retaliation of the monarch's role in the burning of houses of his subjects that his palace was touched in 2009 and the likes of Chief Bade Gboyega, Hon Sunday Owoeye, Mr. Kupoluyi and others whose properties he instigated thugs to destroy are still alive.”

While counselling the Onisan to eschew partisan politics and act as the father of all Isan people that he ought to be; Ojo-Lanre said; “That Fayemi is from Isan does not mean that the Onisan should defecateson his thrown by openly displaying broom, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) symbol as he did during Fayemi's swearing in ceremony.”