From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State have protested an alleged plan by Governor Ademola Adeleke to install a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abioye Adekanmi Alani, as Asaooni of Ora-Igbomina in Ifedayo Local Government on Wednesday.
The aggrieved party members posited that Alani is a core member of the opposition in the state and a member of the 2023 APC Presidential Campaign Committee.
The group accused the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, of masterminding the purported plan.
Speaking under the aegis of Concerned PDP members of Ifedayo Local Government, Oke-Ila, the aggrieved members alleged that the commissioner had purportedly collected N5 million from a strong intending APC governorship aspirant to ensure the installation of Alani as Asaoni of Ora-Igbomina at all cost.
A protest letter dated 10th of October, 2024 signed by its Coordinator, Mr. Ayo Fadeyan and forwarded to Governor Adeleke and concerned members of the State Executive Council, including Barrister Babatunde and made available to newsmen on Tuesday, reads: “As a concerned party member that is preparing for reelection bid of Asiwaju Ademola Adeleke in 2026, we cannot fold our arms without raising a voice to give progressive advice to our Excellency in order to remind him on what happened on the issue of Owa of Igbajo stool where the APC State Chairman was installed as Owa of Igbajo in just a week to end the tenure of former Governor Gboyega Oyetola before your Excellency do the needful to correct the abnormality.
“Sir, the rumour further spread like fire across the local government to give weight to the above assertion that the commissioner in charge of the chieftaincy has directed the Ifedayo local government officials to secretly obtain the signatures of the selected certain people as warrant chiefs in favour of Abikoye Johnson Adekanmi Alani in order to lobby your Excellency for final approval during the Exco meeting on Wednesday.
“It was further alleged that Barrister Dosu Babatunde’s candidate for Asaoni Stool, Abikoye Johnson Adekanmi Alani, was expelled and rusticated from the higher institution of learning, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, in 400 level on the allegation of examination malpractices, school result racketeering, and cultism with Abikoye’s school registration with matric Number: 06078533, obtained from university undergraduate portal.
“The height of the allegation against the anointed candidate of the Commissioner for Asaoni stool was that Abikoye Johnson was bearing different names in his credential records, which makes him not to submit any single credential document along with his Expression of Interest form,” the petitioners said.
When contacted, the commissioner said there is no iota of truth in that allegation, saying, “It’s an allegation intended to tarnish the name of this ministry and that of the government.
“I am not a pauper who looks for money to install people. Are we doing politics with a chieftaincy title?, if the person that is qualified is from AAA or FDS, let it be. That is what the community wants. We are not doing politics with chieftaincy matters,” Babatunde said.
“The thing is that we held a stakeholder meeting with all the ruling houses, and it was all attended, including community leaders, chief imams, community development associations, and all chapters of representation in the community were all there, including the ruling houses.
“We identified the kingmakers who will vote; there was a contention with one of the kingmakers whom they said was installed after the death of the Oba, and we agreed that if that is the case for the sake of peace to reign, we’ll drop him, but not the family in which he came from.”