The Ibadan high chiefs turned monarchs have explained why they were absent at last Sunday’s 90th birthday reception of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji.
According to them, they were not invited to Oba Adetunji’s birthday.
One of the obas, who spoke in confidence, claimed that the Planning Committee did not send any invitation to them.
He blamed the “oversight” on the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Committee, Niyi Adewole, who also is the counsel to the Olubadan in the case challenging the review of the Ibadan chieftaincy laws.
“How will they invite us when the deputy chairman of the committee is the one who is handling the case that took us to court? The other time he was asked some questions about us and he said he did not even know how to address us.
“So, how will he support the idea of inviting us?”
Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, who is the next-in-rank to the Olubadan, acknowledged the receipt of the invitation cards from the Chairman of the Planning Committee for the birthday, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja.
He said the new kings decided not to attend the birthday reception because they were not properly invited to the occasion, adding that the new kings were invited as outsiders when they were supposed to be part of the organisers.
Balogun, in a telephone interview with Daily Sun, however, said the fault of the improper invitation extended to the new kings was not from Adedoja. He described the birthday planning committee chairman as a gentleman and an intelligent person, who ensured everything went properly.
Balogun argued that the new kings were not carried along before the composition of the planning committee, and the whole programme did not have their inputs, which made the new kings to decide not to attend the birthday reception.
He, however, explained further that if the beaded-crown wearing monarchs had not taken the decision to boycott the birthday reception, there was no way he could have attended the programme because he was bereaved, saying his personal assistant on family affairs died on Friday.
In a telephone chat with Daily Sun yesterday evening, the Balogun of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakelehin, confirmed the receipt of the invitation card, saying the letters were not properly addressed to them because they were addressed as ‘High Chiefs’ instead of ‘Obas’.
