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The kingmakers and princes in Odo-Owa, a major community in Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara State, have petitioned the state Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, to dethrone the monarch of the town.

The Kingmakers (Iwarefa) and Afin Descendants Union (Princes) of Odo-Owa said that they have passed “a vote of no confidence” on the Olota of Odo-Owa, Oba Adeyemi Adimula.

The kingmakers who are six in number accused the monarch of exhibiting attributes that are antithetical to his throne.

They, therefore, urged the state government to immediately dethrone Oba Adimula as the Olota of Odo-Owa.

They added that a new Olota be installed in place of the current one based on his alleged “disgraceful acts”.

In a petition addressed to the state government dated May 23, 2022, and signed by the six High Chiefs and 14 princes of the community, they alleged that there was no development in the town as a result of division among the five communities that constitute the town which was allegedly caused by the monarch.

The petition was jointly signed by High Chiefs: Ejisun, Bankole Funsho, Eesa, MA Tope, Asalu, Omotoso Kayode, Odoka, Adebanjo Ogunsola, Ojoko, Popoola Bunmi and Erunna, Ashaolu Raphael

while 14 princes (members of Afin Descendants Union) including the President, Prince Tunji Osaji, Prince Sunday Adimula, Secretary and Professor Abiodun Adimula among others signed the vote of no confidence petition.

According to the petition, the monarch’s alleged insatiable desire for land grabbing is legendary and was making development in the community difficult.

The petition reads: “His reign has been characterized by riots and public violence that had claimed some lives within the community.

“Majority of the title chiefs of the community no longer regard him as king and whoever amongst them speaks against his misrule is publicly flogged and paraded half naked in public or have his valuable properties destroyed.

“He has dragged the entire community into antagonism with neighbouring communities. He is at loggerheads with the Oke-Ero traditional council and does not attend statutory and emergency meetings.

“The Odo-Owa community that used to be a single entity is the danger of splitting into five different communities because of the maladministration of the Olota.

“The above and many other reasons, we pray that Oba Joshua Adeyemi Adimula be dethroned immediately and prosecuted for the crime he has committed.”

In his reaction, the monarch denied the allegations, explaining that notable developments have been recorded since he ascended the throne.

“Today, Odo-Owa can boast of having a divisional Police Station, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps zonal office and FRSC zonal office. I have rehabilitated the Palace with new buildings and a fence which were not present before 2015 when I was installed as the King.

“No fewer than 25 youths have secured employment in Federal government agencies between 2019 and now through the palace and the record of this is the palace for anyone that wants to confirm.”

Oba Adimula said that the people were raising petitions against him because they thought he would die on the throne.

“They thought I would die before three years after my ascension to the throne but when I did not die they began their attack. I ascended the throne in 2015 and in 2018 they started to embark on all sorts of things to frustrate me out of the throne. They have sent a python and a buffalo to attack me in the palace and one of them came to meet me in the palace with charms but God has been sparing my life”, Oba Adimula said.

He said that out of the people that signed the petition, only two of the six ‘kingmakers’ are Iwarefa.

“The people that signed the petition are not the official Iwarefa. The record is there that they were not the Iwarefa (kingmakers) that recommended me for the throne. The petitioners are not kingmakers in Odo-Owa.

“Just two of them are kingmakers. The head of the kingmakers who is a professor was not carried along. One of them called Popoola Bunmi has been suspended indefinitely by me because of the atrocities he had committed. I have suspended him. He is no longer a council member in my cabinet.

“None of the members of the Afin Descendants Union is living in Odo-Owa. Two of my brothers who are members of the union were not carried along in the petition. They also forged the signatures of some of the persons that purportedly wrote the petition.

“Incidentally, the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs says I should maintain my calm as prominent members of the community have waded in.”

Reacting, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs, Aliyu Saifudeen, who confirmed the receipt of the petition, said that the government has waded into the matter.

He told NEWSMEN on Sunday that “The petition was directed through my office to his Excellency and he has directed me to wade into the matter. As you know that the government is always interested in peace in any community, we are going to invite all stakeholders and find out if what they alleged were true. We are meeting them this week.

“The governor was empowered to install and dethrone any monarch. We are going to investigate if the allegations they raised against the monarch is true and we are also going to invite him and hear his own side of the story so as to know the truth before making a decision. We have scheduled a meeting with the stakeholders for this week”, the commissioner said.