Some protesters led by the Regent of Orin Odo-Ekiti in Ekiti, Oluwakemi Ogundana-Ajisafe, on Tuesday urged the state government not to recognise Oba Adebisi Ogunjobi as the traditional ruler of the community.
They accused former Governor Ayo Fayose of unilaterally imposing Ogunjobi as Olorin without following due process.
The protesters, who took their case to the office of the Deputy Governor, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, said the monarch must stop parading himself as Olorin for peace to reign in the community.
Ogundana-Ajisafe described the emergence of Ogunjobi as “bizarre, unconventional and strange to tradition.”
The regent also alleged that the official car used by her father and immediate past Olorin, Oba William Abiodun Ajisafe, was taken away from her at gunpoint by agents of the former governor.
“We want the state government to help us to stop him from parading himself as the Olorin because there is a process to be fulfilled before somebody can become a king and we want peace in our town,’’ she said.
Responding, Egbeyemi urged those aggrieved in Orin Odo to give peace a chance and approach the courts to challenge the process through which Ogunjobi emerged.
Egbeyemi said: “I am a lawyer of almost 40 years in practice. The best thing you can do is to go to court because I don’t want to deceive you on the matter on the ground.
“My office cannot depose any Oba, the only place you can go to resolve the matter is the court of law.”
(NAN)
