The plot to remove the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Akanbi, took another twist on Sunday, September 27, as 12 out of 14 kingmakers in the ancient city insisted that the monarch must be dethroned.
According to the Daily Trust reported that the Osa of Iwo, Chief Yekeen Bello, said only one kingmaker in Iwo did not support a plot to remove the Oba Akanbi.
It was gathered that Bello stressed that it was a unanimous decision of the Iwo kingmakers to sack the king.
He said out of 14 kingmakers in the town, 12 signed the petition, one is dead and that one did not participate in the process.
Bello said: “We, the kingmakers in Iwo were not happy with what Oba Akanbi was doing and the bad news about him.
“We went to him and discussed with him but no change. This step became necessary at this point. It was our unanimous decision.
“That was why we sent the petition to the Governor, Gboyega Oyetola to remove him”.
Reacting to his proposed removal, Oba Akanbi in a statement by his chief press secretary, Alli Ibraheem, said one of the contenders who contested for the stool with him was plotting his removal.
He said it was an attempt to derail him from the glory his reign has credited to the ancient stool of Iwo.
Oba Akanbi said: “It’s a conspiracy of a detractor who has been fighting so hard to become Oluwo of Iwo. The detractors, many times, attempted to discredit Oba me but they failed.
“The recent was to divide the kingmakers but it is dead on arrival. Our achievements have endeared us to Iwo people, more. You can’t run down what your children may benefit from in the future.
“Iwo is secured economically, security wise. The religious atmosphere, traditional and political deals are peaceful here. Iwo has never had it so good like this traditionally.”
“The traditional system is not parliamentary. Oluwo will keep serving humanity. Nothing will discourage good work.
“Together we can achieve better. Detractors romancing my Chiefs should continue wasting their time”.
The newspaper also noted that the indigenes including market women, artisans, youths and other residents of Iwo said they love the monarch and rained curses on the kingmakers.
It stressed that the indigenes during a peaceful protest in Iwo declared their support for their traditional ruler, saying that there was a positive development in the town in his time.
Newsflash247 had earlier reported that Oba Akanbi described himself as the “Greatest King ever liveth.”
It was reported that the monarch made the declaration in what seems like a response to the call for his dethronement by some kingmakers in Iwo, a major town in the western part of Nigeria.
Meanwhile, the renowned journalist, Alhaji Liad Tela who is the Asiwaju Musulumi of Iwoland appealed to all sides to remain calm and allow peace to reign, warning that the negative consequence of removing the monarch was avoidable.
Tela said the negative consequence of removing the monarch forcefully would be disastrous and called on well-meaning indigenes of Iwo to step-in and save the town from impending calamities.
“Nobody should degrade the stool of Oluwo in the name of personal vendetta or group interest. For me as Asiwaju Musulumi of Iwolan, I have had discussion with Oluwo and some of the chiefs. God makes kings. You can never be sure what will happen when a king is forcefully removed. The consequences may be bigger.
“We should not write negative history about Iwo at this point in time. No Oluwo has been removed in the history. I called on the princes of Iwo to step-in. I appeal to well-meaning individuals to ensure amicable settlement of this dispute.
“Iwo had witnessed backwardness for almost 60 years. Some people from Iwo who wine and dine with the power that be in the past never used their connection to advance the development of Iwoland. They should not pretend to be more catholic than the Pope.
“The government should look at the side of the indigenes of Iwo. Not few individuals who have constituted themselves into army of warriors in the past one year to get Oba Akanbi removed as Oluwo at all cost.
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