Lafogido writes Ife kingmakers, explains stand on Ooni stool

THE Lafogido ruling house, Ile-Ife, Osun State has urged the people of Ile-Ife to show understanding in the on-gong controversy over the selection process of the next occupant of the Ooni stool, saying the legal option taken by the ruling house is aimed at putting the record of rotational arrangement on ground straight and not to frustrate the process.

The ruling house has also formally written a letter of protest to the Ife traditional chiefs and Chieftaincy Affairs Department in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, in the state on the need why Lafogido ruling house should be allowed to present candidates to fill the Ooni’s vacant stool.

According to Sooko Adeleke Adewoyin, the head of Lafogido ruling house, members of the ruling house are peace-loving people who would always place the interest of Ife above other personal consideration, noting that the family is raising its voice loud this time in order to fight
against alleged long-standing injustice meted out on the family in chieftaincy matters.

He said: “We are well cultured and have great respect to traditional chiefs and anything that has to do with peace and development of
Ile-Ife but we are compelled this time around to point out certain noticeable irregularities and what we consider to be injustice in the
chieftaincy system. Ife people should understand our position, not that we are deliberately out to ridicule our respected culture and tradition or intend to put election and installation of a new Ooni on hold through court process.’’

In the letter of protest dated September 15, 2015 and addressed to the Obalufe and Lowa of Ife, entitled: “Letter of Dissatisfaction on Decision of both the Ife Traditional Chiefs and the Chieftaincy Affairs Department, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Osogbo, Osun State to invite only the Giesi Ruling House to Forward Nominee for the throne of Ooni of Ife,“ the Lafogido said the chiefs’ call came as a surprise to the
family.

According to the letter, which was signed by Sooko Adeleke: “On behalf of the good people of the Lafogido ruling house, of Ile-Ife, we express our dismay towards the decision of both the traditional chiefs and (kingmakers) via a press conference and the chieftaincy affairs department to invite the Giesi ruling house only to put forward its princes/nominees’’

‘’The facts, customs and the ancestral royal lineage of Ile-Ife Kingdom have deliberately been disregarded to favour the Giesi ruling
house. Kindly find below listed reasons Giesi ruling house only should not be invited to forward princes for the throne of Ooni of Ife:
• that there has been a lop-sidedness in the preponderance of Ooni at the expense of Lafogido, a major ruling house out of the two
original ruling houses;
• the views of the Lafogido ruling house in various chieftaincy reviews especially that of 1976 gazetted in 1977 were not given adequate consideration as a result of which the ruling house was not properly placed in the kingship rotational system; and
• the ruling house therefore urged the chiefs to change their stand and invite Lafogido ruling house to also put forward nominees to the
throne of the Ooni of Ife.

Adewoyin noted it would be a slap in the face of Lafogido if the chiefs prevent the ruling house from presenting candidates, adding that the house had only mounted the Ooni stool once in 1839 which, according to him, was also by providence.

He accused the state government and Ife traditional chiefs and kingmakers of ignoring the 1992 Justice Adewale Babalakin Panel of
Inquiry on the Ife Chieftaincy Stool when they (government and kingmakers) asked Giesi Ruling House to present candidate(s) to fill
the stool of Ooni of Ile-Ife.

He also accused late Oba Adesoji Aderemi of Osinkola Ruling House for masterminding the current crisis with creation of additional ruling
houses that were unknown to the two major existing royal lineages, Lajodogun and Lajamisan.

On why the ruling house resorted to legal option, Chief Adewoyin described it as the wise decision, saying that it would allow all interested parties to have a look at the matter again.

“I want to say that Lafogido has taken the wise decision to allow interested parties to have a look at it because there must be something wrong somewhere. That was why we have to use the court to stop it. The Ooni of Ife stool is not just for Ife alone, the two monarchs that have passed have elevated the status so high and it will be bad for someone without any good pedigree to occupy the stool, what Lafogido is doing is for the benefit of the entire Yoruba race, if we fold our arms and we begin to look, and put a stupid man there, he would embarrass everybody. It is for every one of us including the media to look into the matter and see all those people who claim they are qualified., he explained.