Some members of the Osun State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have expressed concerns over an alleged plan by Governor Ademola Adeleke to install a chieftain of the major opposition party in the state, All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Abikoye Johnson Adekanmi Alani, as a traditional ruler in the state.
The politicians, under the aegis of Concerned PDP Members of Ifedayo Local Government, Area Oke-Ila, Osun State, while raising alarm over alleged questionable records of Alani, kicked against his planned installation as Asaooni of Ora-Igbomina.
The ruling party members disclosed in a petition addressed to Governor Adeleke and made available to The Guardian on Tuesday that there is a plan by the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, to hoodwink the governor into installing Alani, said to be a member of the 2023 APC Presidential Campaign as the monarch of the town.
Insisting that Babatunde is the brain behind the alleged illegal and purported planned installation set to hold on Wednesday, the group said in the petition that “there were rumours peddling around the Council Area that Barrister Dosu Babatunde has collected the sum of Five million naira (N5,000,000) from a strong intending APC gubernatorial aspirant in the state to ensure that Mr. Abikoye Johnson Adekanmi Alani is installed as Asaooni of Ora-Igbomina at all costs.”
The protest letter, dated October 10, 2024, and signed by the Coordinator of the concerned PDP members, Mr. Ayo Fadeyan, a copy of which was forwarded to Governor Adeleke and concerned members of the State Executive Council (SEC), including Babatunde, urged the governor to desist from installing Alani, whom they accused of having blemished credentials, as Asaooni.
“As concerned party members who are preparing for the reelection bid of Asiwaju Ademola Adeleke in 2026, we cannot fold our arms without raising our voices to give progressive advice to Your Excellency in order to remind him of what happened regarding the issue of the Owa of Igbajo Stool, where the APC State Chairman was installed as Owa of Igbajo just a week before the end of the tenure of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola before Your Excellency did the needful to correct the abnormality,” the group said.
“Sir, there are rumours spreading like wildfire across the Local Government to give weight to the above assertion that the Commissioner in charge of the Chieftaincy has directed the Ifedayo Local Government officials to secretly obtain the signatures of certain selected people as Warrant Chiefs in favour of Abikoye Johnson Adekanmi Alani in order to lobby Your Excellency for final approval during the Exco meeting on Wednesday.
“It was further alleged that Barrister Dosu Babatunde’s candidate for the Asaoni Stool, Abikoye Johnson Adekanmi Alani, was expelled and rusticated from the higher institution of learning, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, in 400 level on the allegation of examination malpractices, school result racketeering, and cultism, with Abikoye’s school registration number: 06078533, obtained from the university undergraduate portal.
“It is our opinion that if we do not see any of our party members show interest in the vacant stool by not obtaining the Expression of Interest Form, a candidate without blemished credential records should be approved, appointed, and installed as Asaooni of Ora-Igbomina to give credibility to the administration of Asiwaju Ademola Adeleke, the son of Balogun of Edeland.
“We appeal to Your Excellency to communicate a copy of this letter to the State Security Service (SSS) for proper investigation into the issue in order to know the true position regarding the nomination of the candidate for the stool of Asaooni,” the PDP members further urged the governor.”
Meanwhile, when The Guardian contacted Babatunde, the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, he dismissed the allegations as misconceived and efforts to tarnish the image of his office.
“The petition is misconceived, and it is intended to tarnish the image of this office. Before now, we called a stakeholders’ meeting for the entire community, and we told them how the selection is going to go. They complained that one of the kingmakers was installed after the death of the deceased Oba, and I told them that if that is the correct position, that person cannot be a kingmaker. And we all agreed at the meeting that the family that produced that chieftaincy should bring in another person. That was the resolution at the meeting, and so the family then held the meeting and nominated somebody else to replace the chief, and we agreed that having done that, we could then proceed with the selection process. So, that was what happened.
Also denying the alleged collection of N5 million, the Commissioner said, “I have seen a copy of the petition; they even said I collected N5 million. I want to seek the permission of Mr. Governor; I want to take legal action against the person because he is a faceless individual. Who are these concerned members? We are not even playing politics with the selection of chiefs. If the person is entitled to the office, if he is an APC man but he is customarily and lawfully entitled to it, it doesn’t matter. We are not playing politics with the selection of Obas; anybody that is entitled by custom and tradition to the stool will be. He can be a member of AFC or any political party he likes.”
“So, the allegations are intended to tarnish our image and are grossly misconceived, and maybe they knew that their candidate cannot fly in the selection, which is why they are troubled. It is a faceless organisation; why wouldn’t the members sign? Why is it that only one person signed? It is a faceless petition,” he maintained.
Adamu Abuh, Abuja
