Youths in Osun State under the aegis of Osun Progressives Youth (OPY) have
berated the All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, Senator Bola Ahmed
Tinubu and the Osun State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola over alleged plot
to dethrone the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade and Timi of Ede, Oba
Muniru Adesola Lawal for allegedly supporting the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore and his deputy, Hon
Adejare Bello.
Rumours of Tinubu’s directive to Aregbesola to dethrone the Ooni of
Ile-Ife and Timi of Ede for their alleged support for Omisore and Adejare
filtered into the social media today.
It was alleged that Tinubu held a meeting with Aregbesola at the
Government House, Oshogbo after the APC rally yesterday, where he directed
the governor to “treat both Ooni and Timi lessons when he is reelected.”
Omisore is from Ile-Ife while Adejare is from Ede.
Reacting to the rumour, OPY, in a statement issued by its Convener, Mr
Ayotunde Adedire, described the plan as sacrilegious and dared Tinubu and
Aregbesola to “go ahead and carry out the plot and see if they will be
able to manage the consequences.”
OPY said it was not unmindful of Tinubu’s disrespect for traditional
rulers in Osun State and other Yoruba States, having said that all Obas in
Yorubaland were dishonest except three.
“If Tinubu could open his mouth and say that only the Oba of Lagos, Oba
Rilwan Akiolu, Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona and one other Oba
were credible in Yorubaland, one cannot be surprised that he wants
Aregbesola, his godson to dethrone the Oonirisa and Timi Agbale for
political reasons.
“We are also not amazed that just because of the honest observation
concerning Omisore’s political journeys made by the Ooni when President
Goodluck Jonathan visited on Saturday, Tinubu could describe the revered
monarch as someone who was never honest because he (Tinubu) lacked proper
upbringing.
“We are only mindful of Tinubu’s disrespect for our Obas and his penchant
for dragging them into his political expansionist agenda, and we wish to
tell him that he should spare our Obas in Osun State of his politics of
disrespect and destruction.
“We also wish to warn Governor Aregbesola to leave our Obas alone because
even though we don’t see him winning the Saturday election, he can’t dare
dethrone any Oba in Osun if he wins,” the group said.