DEPOSED ORANGUN REMAINS ADAMANT
Deposed Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Olukayode Oyedotun, has said he remains the authentic Ila monarch. Besides, Ila women have threatened large scale violence if the Orangun is dethroned in accordance with last Friday's ruling of an Osogbo High Court presided over by Justice R. A. Siyanbola.
Oba Oyedotun, who was at a social function in Lagos when the judgment was delivered, spoke with newsmen at about 8 p.m in his palace on Saturday after a heroic reception accorded him by thousands of his subjects.
He said an appeal had been filed against court ruling and he was ready to pursue the case to the Supreme Court.
'Now, the town is calm. The Oba remains in the palace. I am the authentic Orangun of Ila. I remain on the throne. I remain on my seat.
'We may go to the Supreme Court, we don't mind. So, we are going to wait until the final say on the matter. But what the court has said has no meaning to me,' he declared.
Although highly embarrassed by the judgment, Oba Oyedotun stated that he and his chiefs were never 'cowed' by the court pronouncement, saying his appointment followed the usual traditional processes of appointing the Orangun of Ila.
'So, my word for my opponent is that he should wait until the final ruling is given at the higher court. He should wait. He cannot install himself. If the unexpected happens, he has to go through the normal traditional process.
'Nobody can pronounce himself as the Orangun of Ila. It is never done. We have a special way of choosing the Orangun of Ila and God has chosen me through that traditional process. He should go through the process,' Oba Oyedotun stated. Meanwhile, Ila women have threatened to embarked on an unprecedented violence if the court judgment is implemented.
Speaking through the Iyalode of Ila, Chief Funmilayo Oyebode, the women said they were solidly behind Oba Oyedotun. Describing the dethronement of Oba Oyedotun by the court as abomination and unprecedented in the history of the ancient town, Iyalode said all the women of Ila were determined to go naked to protest the court judgment.
'We are waiting for the arrival of our dearest Kabiyesi, our own Olukayode, to arrive the town from Lagos. We are waiting to hear from him. If not, we would have gone naked by now. But we want to hear from him first.
'All the women of Ila are solidly behind our Kabiyesi. What the court said was abomination. No Orangun has ever been deposed in the history of Ila. The judgment cannot hold. If we were aware of the court matter, we would have mobilized all Ila women to converge on that court.
'Our Kabiyesi remains our Oba. Nothing must happen to him. He loves us and we love him too. He has brought good-tidings to us and we are enjoying his reign,' the Iyalode stressed.