Better Oyo Movement, BOM, a sociopolitical group committed to the all-round development has warned Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, against what it termed coercion of royal fathers from the Oke-Ogun region, in the governor’s unending bid to seek endorsement for Barrister Bayo Lawal, his replacement deputy governor.
BOM, in a release in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital alleged that not only did the Oyo State Government coerce the royal fathers to travel all the way from Oke-Ogun down to Ibadan without any concrete plans for logistics and accommodation, the group maintained that inside sources informed it that the royal fathers numbering about 37 were even ridiculed with a paltry sum of money to the point each one of them had to go home with amounts which unfortunately couldn’t even cover their hotel and transportation costs, let alone befitting their statuses as eminent personalities.
“That the Makinde Government is in dire need of endorsement for its hurriedly packaged deputy governor, after unceremoniously removing Engr. Rauf Olaniyan, to whom Oke-Ogun indigenes invested their trust, and because of whom they voted the joint Makinde/Olaniyan ticket in 2019, advertises nothing but sheer hypocrisy, disdain for the honour, traditions and personality of the revered royal fathers and a needless endorsement voyage which will end in nothing but disgrace and ignominy for the Makinde Government,” the release posited.
Faulting the timing of the endorsement voyage, at a time BOM believes the royal fathers should even be in a mourning mood, aftermath the demise of their chairman, Oba AbdulGaniy Adekunle Salawudeen, Ajinase Oloogunebi I, Aseyin of Iseyin, and particularly before the governor himself found time to pay condolence to Iseyin, the group reminds the monarchs not to allow politicians with tenured offices to rubbish them – eminent personalities seated on cherished ancient stools.
“We call on our royal fathers to avoid a situation where the Oyo State Government coerces them to endorse bad products which the good people of Oyo State will reject in the coming polls. They are to remain in their places of power and authority as custodians of the people’s culture and traditions,” advised BOM, whose release was signed by Dr. Femi Fakunle and Engr. Tunji Hammed, Chairman and Secretary respectively.
