Kemi Olaitan
Kingmakers, members of the two ruling houses of Emiolu and Oshunbiyi, as well as prominent indigenes of Iresa-Adu in Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State have petitioned the state Governor, Seyi Makinde, to intervene in the chieftaincy crisis rocking the ancient town.
They urged the governor to stop Prince Adeyeye Oyerinde from parading himself as the Aresa-adu.
In the petition dated May 19, 2021, titled: ‘The Aresa-adu of Iresa-adu chieftaincy and the position of the two ruling houses, the chiefs and the kingmakers of Iresa-adu and all indigenes of the towns against the fraud of being perpetuated by Prince Adeyeye Oyerinde, and the threat to peace of the town’, which was made available to THISDAY yesterday, they said none of the two ruling houses forwarded the name of any candidate to the kingmakers as required by the chieftaincy laws of the state and the Aresa-adu of Iresa-adu chieftaincy declaration.
They disclosed that the Emiolu ruling house went to court to challenge the letter issued by Surulere LGA to the Oshunbiyi ruling house, where Prince Oyerinde came from, asking them to produce a candidate to fill the vacant throne of Aresa-adu, and in the process obtained an injunction restraining members of Oshunbiyi ruling house, the local and state governments from going ahead with process of nominating and installing any person from Oshunbiyi ruling house pending the determination of the application for interlocutory injunction.
According to them, while every member of the two ruling houses abides by the injunction and awaits the decision of the court, Prince Oyerinde has refused to do this despite the fact that the injunction is still extant.
They also alleged that Oyerinde has recently busied himself with the installation of village heads under the ancient town of Iresa-adu in flagrant disobedience to the subsisting court order granted by the state High Court in Igbon town of Surulere LGA.
The petition read in part: “We hereby inform Your Excellency that Prince Oyerinde is not an Aresa-adu of Iresa-adu as he was never chosen by any ruling house, and no rites of installation was performed on him as we urgently request that you put to an end to this fraud being perpetuated not only on the entire sons and daughters of Iresa-adu but also on the Oyo State Government.
“Set up a panel of inquiry that will examine the ways, means and manner Prince Oyerinde got a letter of approval when he was in fact not nominated by any ruling house in spite of several letters protesting against such nomination.
“Immediately, stop Oyerinde from parading himself as the Aresa-adu of Iresa-adu pending the investigations and court’s proceeding.”
