The Igbimo Apapo Yoruba Lagbaye, that is, the Yoruba Council Worldwide, has said it would no longer recognise former President Olusegun Obasanjo by all his chieftaincy titles in Yoruba Land over his brazen refusal to purge himself from alleged disparaging comments to the Yoruba Obas.
The council in letter notifying the former Nigeria’s president of its decision titled: “Declaration/non-recognition As The Balogun Of Owu Kingdom And Any Other Chieftaincy Titles In Yoruba Land,” said that they would commence mobilisation of all market women, youths and leaders of thoughts to ensure a total compliance to the declaration.
The letter which dated September 18, 2023 and was received and acknowledged on September 19, 2023 was jointly signed by President, Yoruba Council Worldwide/Oba Aala Aje Obatala Agbaye Ile-ile and Secretary General, Aare Oba Oladotun Hassan Esq and Akowe Oodua Siyanbade Adekanmbi respectively.
The letter partly read: “The Yoruba Council Worldwide being the apex Yoruba indigenous organization, having waited endlessly for your compliance to the 3 days earlier call for sober apology press conference via our widely circulated notice on 16th September, 2023, we hereby declare and seize to recognize your Chieftaincy titles conferred on you by any monarchs in Yoruba Land, including the Balogun of Owu Kingdom, consequent upon your brazen refusal to apologize, degradation and disparaging comments to the Yoruba Obas on the 15th September, 2023 at Iseyin, Oyo State: A Total Sacrilege.
“We see your disrespectful statements at the commissioning of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Iseyin campus, and had commanded kings from Oyo State to stand up and accord you respect (and subsequent defense in premium times) to the arrays of first class Royal Fathers and other leading Obas like toddlers or a village headmaster or Army General taking profusely at his foot soldiers in a most depressing, disparaging and disrespectful manner.
“We reiterate as the leading vanguard voice for all Yoruba Indigenous people globally, we have eternal duty to preserve the aesthetic distinct Omoluabi ethos, Royal stools and ancestral customs and traditions of the Yoruba Obaship precipitating our earlier demand for immediate apologies within three (3) days which you deliberately ignored blatantly.”
The Council also said that it would commence legal action in court against Obasanjo for alleged defamation and scandalous libel.
“Furthermore, we shall mobilize all market women, youths and leaders of thoughts for onward sanitization and compliance to our declaration forthwith. We have emphatically spoken.”
The Council also notified the Kabiyesi Alayelwa, His Royal Majesty, Oba Professor Saka Matemilola, on their decision. (SaharaReporters)
