The face-off between the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, and his high chiefs deepened on Tuesday with the first class monarch ordering them to remove their “illegal crowns.’’
The Olubadan said that he had no objection to the return of his high chiefs to the palace “once they remove their illegal crowns.’’
The high chiefs had accused the Olubadan of running a “one-man-show’’ and disregarding the Olubadan-in-Council.
The chiefs also accused the monarch of appointing Mogajis (family heads) and Baales (village heads) without consulting the council.
One of the members of the Olubadan-in-Council and Otun Olubadan, Lekan Balogun, while speaking at a meeting of the council at Mapo Hall in Ibadan said the actions of the Olubadan called for urgent attention to forestall crisis.
The Olubadan, however, urged the high chiefs to apologise to the people of Ibadanland in particular and the Yoruba people in general for “undermining our custom and tradition.’’
According to him, there is nowhere in Yorubaland where two kings sit inside a palace.
He recalled that he had expected the high chiefs to comply with the Oyo State High Court judgment which declared the state government reform that produced the crowned chiefs as illegal, null, void and of no effect.
(NAN)