ALLEGED INSTALLATION OF MURITALA TAJUDEEN AS THE OLU OF IKEJA IS IRRESPONBILE – OSHOJA RULING HOUSE DECLARES

The Oshoja Ruling house of Ikeja, which is the Ruling house entitled to produce the next Olu of Ikeja has watched with dismay the irresponsible conduct of some impostors claiming to have installed Muritala Tajudeen as the Olu of Ikeja in Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos State on Saturday, 22nd January, 2022 without government approval and dare say that the alleged installation was not only unlawful but also a display of irresponsibility at its highest level.

In a press release signed by the Secretary and principal members of the family, the Ruling house dissociates itself from the alleged unlawful installation of the impostor called Muritala Tajudeen and call on the Lagos State Government to arrest and prosecute all individuals involved in the sacrilegious act in compliance with the provision of Section 21 of the Obas and Chiefs of Lagos state law, Ch. 02, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015, which criminalizes the installation or purported installation of a person as successor to vacancy in any chieftaincy stool in the absence of the approval of the Governor with punishment of two (2) years imprisonment upon conviction.

 The family noted that this step is not only necessary but also extremely expedient to avoid the breakdown of law and order in Ikeja and rekindle the confidence of Lagosians in the ability of the Lagos State Government to enforce its laws for the peace, order and good governance in the state. The family commended the Ikeja Local Government for its earlier publication of a disclaimer on the shameful act of the impostors in the Nations Newspaper of Friday 21st January, 2022.   

The Oshoja Ruling house also described as laughable the recent declaration of Temitope Majekodunmi, an indigene of Abeokuta and acclaimed EndSARS protester as the Olu of Ikeja-elect by some recalcitrant members of the Oshoja Ruling House and allegedly forwarded his name to Ikeja Local Government for processing without him being nominated by the family at a family meeting and without the approval of the Ikeja kingmakers.  

The family noted that this development is nothing but a drama and that Ikeja is a reputable community that is beyond this kind of unnecessary drama. The family noted that there is no basis for any nomination again because the Public Notice issued by the Ikeja Local Government to the Oshoja Ruling House specified the time frame within which to nominate,and the time frame has since expired especially with the nomination of PRINCE WASIU OWOLABI ADELEYE.

       Prince Wasiu Owolabi Adeleye

The family urged members of the public to refuse any deception on nomination of candidate and the process of filling the vacant stool of Olu of Ikeja. The family stated that, for avoidance of doubt, PRINCE WASIU OWOLABI ADELEYE remains the authentic candidate of the Oshoja Ruling House for the vacant stool of Olu of Ikeja.

The family went down the memory lane on how PRINCE WASIU OWOLABI ADELEYE of the Idowu Aso branch of the Oshoja Ruling emerged in 2014 as the candidate of the Ruling.

   Prince Wasiu Adeyemi emerged as the candidate of the ruling

It was stated that following the death of late Oba Rafiu Amore from the Amore Ruling House on the 1st day of July, 2014, it became the turn of the Oshoja Ruling to nominate candidate to fill the vacant stool of Olu of Ikeja. Consequently, the Ikeja Local Government issued a Public Notice to the Oshoja Ruling House on the 2nd day of December, 2014 to present a candidate for the stool. 

After several meetings, the Oshoja Ruling house under the headship of Chief Isa Salami Akinlabi nominated and presented PRINCE WASIU OWOLABI ADELEYE as the candidate of the family on the 16th of December, 2014. The majority of the king makers also ratified the nomination and forwarded same to the Ikeja Local Government for processing. The Ikeja Local Government in turn forwarded the nomination with all necessary documents to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs for the approval of the candidature of PRINCE WASIU OWOLABI ADELEYE by the Governor.

 As part of the process for the approval, the Ministry of Local Government sought the clearance of the Ministry of Justice on as to whether the nomination of PRINCE WASIU ADELEYE and documents presented for processing same met the requirement of the Obas and Chiefs of Lagos State Law to merit approval and the Ministry of Justice cleared PRINCE WASIU OWOLABI ADELEYE on the 10th of August, 2016.

While the processing was progressing, some mischief makers, using non-existent political leaning falsely branded PRINCE WASIU OWOLABI ADELEYE as a PDP party man and leveraged on that false representation to present another candidate Prince Nurudeen Adeyemi Adeleye and procured a provisional clearance of the Ministry of Justice to facilitate his approval. However, following a repeated and vigorous insistence of the Oshoja Ruling House on the candidature  of PRINCE WASIU OWOLABI ADELEYE as the Nominated candidate of the Oshoja Ruling House for the vacant stool of the Olu of Ikeja,  the Ministry of Justice reviewed the nomination of PRINCE WASIU OWOLABI ADELEYE  and Prince Nurudeen Adeyemi Adeleye in the light of the requirements of the Obas and Chiefs of Lagos State Law and by a letter dated 21st June, 2019 noted that there were lapses in the alleged nomination of Prince Nurudeen Adeyemi Adeleye. 

The Ministry of Justice further re-validated and affirmed the clearance of PRINCE WASIU OWOLABI ADELEYE as the authentic candidate entitled to fill the vacant stool of the Olu of Ikeja.