Panic Grips Emuren Town Over Kingship Tussle

Ugo Aliogo

There was panic and anxiety in Emuren town in the Sagamu Local Government area of Ogun State over alleged plan by a serving lawmaker in the Ogun State House of Assembly to foist his preferred candidates on the people of the town as the next monarch, two years after the last Oba died.

It took the intervention of anti-riot policemen from the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SRAS) military personnel, Agbekoya and other security operatives to dislodge miscreants, who were stationed in many parts of the town for the nomination of the candidates on Tuesday.

Top businessman, Otunba Segun Alowonle was among the seven candidates, who were nominated by the members of the Owuyo ruling house, whose turn is to provide the next monarch of the town.

The Secretary to the Sagamu Local Government Wale Fakoya had in a letter dated May 9 directed the Olori Ebi of the Owuyo ruling house to convey a meeting of the leaders of the family to agree on a date for nomination of candidates.

Prior to the proper nomination of candidates on recently, some groups of miscreants were stationed in some parts of the community.

The regent of the town, Chief Nasiru Taiwo has called on the state and local government to allow the will of the people of the town and that of the kingmakers to prevail in the selection of the monarch of the town.

Taiwo, who is the Lisa of the town also expressed surprise at the sudden rush by the Sagamu local government to hurriedly install an Oba in the town, after delaying the process for more than a year.

The regent said “We have tried in the past to get new king since we lost our last king in 2017, but there has been delay from the government. The Oba of Emuren is a first class monarch and we should be very careful in the process of selecting a new Oba. The government should consider the implication of going against the wishes of the people of the town.”

Yekini Solesi, popularly known as Ijangbon Ilu, while speaking at the nomination of the candidates , also called on the state government and the Sagamu local government not to throw the town into another   violence in the process to install a new monarch.

The Solesi said that the  experience of the people of the town in the last few years  calls for serious caution in the process to select the new monarch and cautioned the government against undue interference  in the whole process

One of the kingmakers, the lotu Omoba  of Emuren, Bola Taiwo , said that the 14 days’ notice given by the local government  for the family meeting and the nomination  of the candidates  is too short, stating that the Emuren in Council  had for more than a year been trying to install a new monarch

Otunba Alowonlo was nominated as the candidate  of the Onadi family, a branch of the Owuyo Rulling house , while another family, the Oduedo refused to nominate any candidate for the race.
The former secretary of the Owuyo Ruling House, Adekunle Desile and Dr. Adeyemi Desile were nominated from the Desile family, while four candidates: Lekan Makewu , Nurudeen Adesegun , Mayowa Oyebanjo  and Adetayo Solesi were nominated as the candidates of the Solesi family.

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