Alake, Olota in supremacy battle over installation of monarchs

The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, and the Olota of Ota, Oba Abdulkabir Adeyemi Obalanlege, are locked in supremacy battle over installation of kings and chiefs in some towns and communities in Aworiland by Oba Gbadebo. The affected towns are Sango, Atan, Ijoko, Abule-Ore and Adekoyeni and the Gbalefa Peninsula, all in Ado Odo/Ota […]

The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, and the Olota of Ota, Oba Abdulkabir Adeyemi Obalanlege, are locked in supremacy battle over installation of kings and chiefs in some towns and communities in Aworiland by Oba Gbadebo.

The affected towns are Sango, Atan, Ijoko, Abule-Ore and Adekoyeni and the Gbalefa Peninsula, all in Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state, where the Olota, reigns.

But Alake, who is the Chairman of the State’s Council of Obas, said he has the legal authority to install Kings and Chiefs in certain towns in Ota-Aworiland.

In justifying the position, the monarch pointed out that the affected towns among others “were part of lands and settlements captured by the Egba during the war against Ado-Odo in 1843.” The monarch said that between 1853 and 1900, Ota was ruled by the Egba, through their resident representatives, adding that, the development made the Olota of Ota a member of the Egba traditional council.

Chiefs from Aworiland, through their spokesman, Chief Olanrewaju Bashorun, had accused Alake of illegal installation of Obas in towns where Obalanlege, a professor of Mass Communication, reigns. The Chiefs backed by the Olota, viewed the Alake’s position as “distortion of culture and breach of tradition.”

Bashorun maintained that where there is an apparent intent or suspicion of intent to discredit the will, distort the culture and breach the tradition of the people, it is not always right to keep silent in the face of such indiscretion.

“Indeed, we have been told that, against conscience, common sense and justice that some new Obas, whose ancestors were not biologically, historically and circumstantially linked with the Aworis nor had any affiliation with the kingship, would be installed. Any such action or endeavour, without the consent of Olota of Ota, is an exercise in futility and would be resisted with every legitimate means available to us.”

However, at a press conference addressed by the Alake-in-council in Ake, Abeokuta palace on Friday, the Baaroyin of Egbaland, Chief Layi Labode, insisted that the allegation by the Aworis that Alake had installed, imposed or induced Kings, Baales (Village Heads) or Chiefs was totally false.

He stated that without exception, the courts’ decision, on all issues brought against Alake’s position in all Egba physical and geographical areas, re-confirmed the legal and traditional jurisdiction of Egbaland.

“The outcomes of the cases have settled for all time, and beyond all reasonable doubts, the legal Authority of the Alake of Egbaland, to administer traditional oversight in all the areas Chief Bashorun mentioned in his superfluity.”

He said the Aworis misinformed the public when they said the towns he (Alake) installed Kings and Chiefs do not fall within his domain. He also advised the Olota or anyone that disagreed with that claim to go to court rather than engage in acts of self-help that might lead to violence and other forms of terror.

Labode said the Alake and Egba Traditional Council, as well as all peace loving people of Ogun State are worried that the Olota and his Chiefs, have been involving themselves in self-help by engaging in violent visits to Egba towns and villages within Gbalefa: Iju, Atan, Ijoko, Itori, Sango and others.

“They (Aworis) have engaged professional land grabbers and hoodlums to illegally grab sell and forcibly drive landowners, almost causing a kind of internally inflicted displaced persons scenario. Finally, the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland has always followed due process in the installation of any Baale or Traditional ruler. The case in Ota area will not be and is not exception.”

The Monarch, however, called on the State’s Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, to intervene in the alleged excesses and harassment of Egba indigenes in some parts of Aworiland in Ota.

Barely 24 hours after Alake-in-council statement, Oba Obalanlege, who is said to be on an official assignment in Switzerland, replied the Egba Chief in his short message titled, ‘My response to Alake-in-Council.’

The university scholar turned monarch, said: “I need to remind Alake of Ake that in Ogun State, the settlement of Awori people preceded the establishment of Abeokuta as an Egba Kingdom in 1830. Ota, the foremost Awori town within the present Ogun State, and which is the industrial nerve centre, for instance, has been existing since the 15th century.  The first Olota, Oba Ikoriku Toribo, was coroneted in 1621, while the first Alake in Abeokuta, Sagbua Okukenu, was crowned on 8th August, 1854.”

Continuing, Obalanlege said: “It goes without saying that putting Olota under Alake is both traditional misnomer and historic fallacy.The Ife palace, where the crowns came from knows better. Never in history, has Ota been captured by the Egbas, rather, we rescued them from Oyo invasion,”  he said