Politics
Osun Govt Defends New Kings’ Appointment
The government of Osun State has stated that there was no violation of law and tradition over the appointment of new kings in the state.
This was contained in a statement on Saturday by the Hon Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, who declared that the appointments were in line with tradition and chieftaincy laws.
He dismissed allegations of misconduct, corruption and abuse of power, which he described as unfounded and baseless.
He said, “We call the public to recall that the present administration at its inception set up a number of committees to review the activities of the immediate past administration particularly towards the end of its tenure in response to the yearnings of the people of the State who felt some of the activities were detrimental to the progress of the State.
“One of such committees was the one that reviewed activities on Chieftaincy matters from July 16 to November 26 2022. The Committee held public sessions and received several petitions on which it wrote its report. A White Paper Drafting Committee reviewed the report of the Committee before it was further reviewed by the State Executive Council and a White Paper was issued.
“The White Paper touched upon several Chieftaincy matters handled by the immediate past administration towards the end of its tenure and gave succor to the people in line with their yearnings.
“Prominent among the Chieftaincy matters are the stools of Aree of Iree, Akirun of Ikirun and Owa of Igbajo.
“On the stool of Aree of Iree, it was discovered that the immediate past administration deliberately bypassed the town’s kingmakers and made use of warrant chiefs to select and approve an Oba for Iree. The White Paper therefore advised the Iree Kingmakers who were in court to protest the action of the immediate past administration to withdraw the suit with an assurance that they would be allowed to perform their traditional duty.
“In response, the Kingmakers’ lawyers presented necessary documents which indicated they were prepared and willing to withdraw their suit which would be filed once the courts which were on lockdown resumed. With this, preparations to re-fill the stool following due process began and after a keen contest, Prince Muritala Oyelakin was selected by the Iree Kingmakers and his appointment was duly ratified by the State Executive Council as the Aree of Iree.
“On the stool of Akirun of Ikirun, the White Paper stated that all contending parties should await the decision of the Court of Appeal on the suit filed by one of the ruling houses in Ikirun which was dissatisfied with the action of the immediate past administration on the Akirun stool.
“The White Paper stated that a fresh selection process would take place in Igbajo to enable all eligible princes from the Owa Oke Odo Ruling House participate in a free and fair selection in the interest of fair play, equity and in line with the custom and tradition of Igbajo.
“Consequently, a fresh selection process began and all interested princes from the eligible ruling house participated in the selection process. When it became expedient for the Igbajo Kingmakers to hold their selection meeting to appoint an Owa-elect, five surviving Kingmakers out of the six recognized by the Owa of Igbajo Chieftaincy Declaration deliberately refused to do so.
“After refusing to attend several meetings to which they were invited by the Local Council, Government had no other option than to invoke the provisions of Section 17 of the Chiefs Law of Osun State which permitted the revocation of the performance of any delegated function by any one and the appointment of other persons to perform such a delegated function.
“Thus, warrant kingmakers appointed according to law performed their duty and selected an Owa of Igbajo elect whose appointment is to be ratified by the State Executive Council.
“The Government has gone to this length to explain the course of action it took so that members of the public would be adequately informed and enlightened to understand that the actions were taken to correct the injustice perpetrated by the immediate past administration on some Chieftaincy stools towards the end of its tenure in office and in response to the yearning of the majority of the people of the affected communities who appeared before the committee set up by this administration and requested for fresh processes which would be free and fair and in line with the tradition and customs of their respective communities. This the Government has done.
“We therefore affirmed that as a government, we acted within the law and tradition as well as in the best interest of the people of the affected towns.”
A Political Adviser to President Bola Tinubu, Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, has dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s ambition to contest the 2027 presidential election, describing it as a joke.
Masari made the remark while addressing members of the Jigawa State Academics Forum.
SEE MORE: ‘A Nation Cannot Escape the Bill’ — Atiku Questions Tinubu’s Third UNGA Absence
According to him, Atiku’s political ambition would not be achieved through what he described as desperation, insisting that the former vice president was aware of the situation.
“Even Atiku himself knows he is just joking and kidding,” Masari said.
The presidential aide also described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the dominant political party in the country and framed the 2027 election as a choice between continuing the Tinubu administration’s programmes and returning to the opposition.
Masari highlighted infrastructure development, economic diversification, security and poverty reduction as areas the Tinubu administration was prioritising.
He also commended the Jigawa State Academics Forum for endorsing President Tinubu and Governor Umar Namadi for another term.
On education, Masari said the Federal Government was giving the sector priority, adding that the university academic calendar had stabilised and students were benefiting from federal student loans.
His comments come as political parties and opposition figures intensify preparations for the 2027 general election.
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be questioned if there were any irregularities in the conduct of the 2023 presidential election.
Sule made the remarks during an appearance on Mic On Podcast, hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, an Arise TV anchor, while responding to questions about allegations surrounding the 2023 presidential election and INEC’s handling of the process.
The governor noted that INEC was the body that conducted and declared the election, saying: “INEC declared that I won the election in 2023. INEC that determined the election.”
SEE ALSO: 2027: Tinubu Has Done Enough Good To Win Re-Election — Gov Sule
Speaking about claims that both Labour Party’s Peter Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar believed they won the 2023 presidential election, Sule questioned how the APC could have manipulated the election against both candidates.
He said: “So who won the election between Peter Obi and Atiku? Take President Asiwaju out. So who now rigged each other between the PDP and then the Labour Party? Because you are saying that Peter Obi said he won, Atiku said he won—”
On concerns over glitches on INEC’s Result Viewing (IReV) portal during the presidential election and allegations that “something fishy” may have happened, Sule said INEC should provide answers if there were any irregularities.
He stated: “Well, if something fishy went down, it is INEC herself that would be asked that question.”
Sule also referred to subsequent elections conducted under the current INEC leadership, including the Osun and Anambra governorship elections.
According to him, APC lost the Osun election without similar complaints, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won in Anambra.
He said: “You know, and so far, all the elections… he held the election in Osun, and they didn’t say there was anything wrong with that one, because APC lost. We had an election in Anambra, there was no problem about that one, because APGA won.”
“You know, so it is anywhere APC won now that there is a problem. It doesn’t… life doesn’t work that way.” the governor added.
Human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take preventive measures to protect former Anambra State governor and 2027 presidential candidate Peter Obi.
Ejiofor raised concerns over Obi’s safety ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that any harm to the presidential candidate could have serious consequences for Nigeria’s political and democratic environment.
READ MORE: 2027: Peter Obi ‘Unfit’ To Govern Nigeria — Onanuga Declares
In a statement issued in Abuja, Ejiofor said Obi’s recent expression of concern about his personal safety should not be dismissed as ordinary political rhetoric.
He said when a presidential candidate publicly expresses uncertainty about his safety ahead of an election, the appropriate response should be “vigilance, sober inquiry and preventive action.”
“Nothing must happen to Obi,” Ejiofor said, calling on Tinubu to act now to protect the former Anambra governor and the democratic space.
The lawyer also cited recent developments surrounding the 2027 political season, including Obi’s complaints about difficulties faced by opposition politicians campaigning in some states and the controversy surrounding the obstruction of his convoy during a visit to Benue State.
According to Ejiofor, the circumstances require greater attention from government institutions, security agencies, political parties and other stakeholders.
He warned that if anything happened to Obi, the consequences could extend beyond the individual and potentially affect Nigeria’s already delicate electoral environment.
“If anything should happen to Peter Obi—God forbid!—the consequences would extend far beyond the individual concerned,” he said, describing the possible consequences as “disastrous and devastating.”
Ejiofor urged the Federal Government, security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties and state authorities to ensure that presidential candidates can campaign peacefully and that voters can freely hear competing political views.
He also called for political disagreements to be settled through the ballot and the law rather than intimidation, coercion or violence.
“Prevention is wiser than mourning,” Ejiofor said, stressing that Nigeria should not wait for a tragedy before taking steps to address concerns surrounding the 2027 political environment.
He further appealed for an electoral atmosphere where every legitimate contestant can campaign, political parties can organise peacefully and citizens can freely listen to and support candidates of their choice.
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