One of the candidates in the race for the Ooni stool, Prince Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has described the lawsuit filed to stop the selection process which has been narrowed down to Giesi Ruling House as a waste of time.
The contestant, said this after distributing 25 transformers to some communities in Ife on Saturday.
Mr. Lekan Ijiyode, who spoke on behalf of the contestant, said he (Ogunwusi) had ordered 50 transformers which would all be distributed to ensure improvement in electricity supply to residents of the town. He valued the 50 transformers and installation at N250m.
He stated that Giesi family had continued with their preparations despite the suit filed to restrain the kingmakers because they knew they were on the right side of the law.
He said, “The 1957 Ife Chieftaincy Declaration recognised four ruling houses – Osinkola, Ogboru, Giesi and Lafogido. The 1980 declaration brought about the rearrangement of order of succession and the order had been followed before now.
“That it is now the turn of Giesi to produce the next Ooni is not in contention. It is stated that after Ogboru comes Giesi and that is what the kingmakers have just said.
“The suits were filed as a time wasting tactics. It is a waste of time and I know that they are just bidding for time and nothing more.”
Ijiyode stated that the contestant did not give the transformers to bribe members of the communities because they were not the factors to determine who would ascend the throne.
He said Ogunwusi had been involved in assisting indigenes of Ife in tertiary institutions and had been engaged in other forms of humanitarian services long before the demise of Oba Okunade Sijuwade.
Some of the beneficiaries of the contestant’s largesse expressed gratitude to him, saying they had been experiencing hardship and economic loss due to the breakdown of transformers in their areas.
Some of the operators at a sawmill in the town and community leaders, including Olalere Olanrewaju, Adedapo Olayode, Adebisi Adegilye and Titus Elewude, said the gesture from the prince would bring about economic recovery to many residents of the town.
But the Osinkola Ruling House restated their determination to stop the selection process through legal means.
The Chairman, Publicity Committee of Osinkola Ruling House, Olakunle Aderemi, said in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday that the family would stop the process, saying the instrument which the kingmakers relied on was corrupt.
Aderemi said, “We are determined to stop them and we will do just that. We are going to court on Monday; we will perfect everything. Osinkola Ruling House will not allow this illegality to stand.”
The family said an open contest to select the most credible prince to ascend the throne would be fair and beneficial to all the ruling houses.
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