OYO GOVT WITHDRAWS IGBOHO MONARCH'S STAFF OF OFFICE

By NBF News

By OLA AJAYI
IBADAN- GOVERNOR Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has ordered the withdrawal of the staff of office presented to Prince Johnson O. Oyeyiola as the Alepata of Igboho.

The monarch had earlier been ordered to stop parading himself as the king of Igboho by a state High Court, but the order was ignored by the past administration in the state.

The non-recognition of the deposed king was contained in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Akin Olajide.

According to the statement, the action of the State Government was in conformity with previous rulings of the Oyo State High Court under Justices E.C.A. Lufadeju and M. O. Bolaji-Yusuff which restrained Prince Oyeyiola from parading himself as an Oba and the latter judgment which equally nullified his appointment as the Alepata.

The government said: 'Being a responsive, responsible and people-oriented government that believes in the defence and promotion of the rule of law, we will not stand by and allow

any person in the state, no matter how highly placed, to ride rough-shod over the judiciary which is the last hope of the common man.'

The government said it notes with sadness that in spite of the rulings of the judges on the matter which lasted for years and restrained the Prince from parading himself as the Alepata, 'Prince Oyeyiola did parade himself as Alapata and was re-appointed as the Alepata of

Igbohoby the last government.'
The release said that following the 'contemptuous presentation' of self as the Alepata by the Prince, the High Court, under Justice Bolaji-Yusuff, went further to grant an application in the suit against him on June 28, 2006 which referred his appointment as

'unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect.

'The court's pronouncement on this matter is clear and unequivocal. It is to the effect that the beaded crown presented to Prince Johnson O.

Oyeyiola as the Alepata of Igboho by the last administration was done in flagrant disregard of the subsisting order of a court of law and as such amounted to executive lawlessness and recklessness.'

Aside asking the Prince to stop parading himself as the Alepata, government also directed security agencies and the Oorelope Local Government where he is domiciled to enforce strict compliance with this directive and by stopping the payment and salaries of the Prince and arresting him if he further presents himself as the king of the area.