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Some stakeholders, including Chiefs, Baales and prominent sons and daughters of Ibadan land have condemned the comments credited to the self-acclaimed Iyaloja-General of Oyo State, Folashade Abeo Nurudeen.
Abeo was quoted to have said in a statement that: “Oyo State belongs to all zones in the state. So, it would be fair, just and equitable if another zone is allowed to produce the Iyaloja General, given that the state government had formally recognised Mr. Y.K. Abass, who is from Ibadan as the Babaloja-General.”
However, a statement signed on Tuesday by the President, Association of Ibadan Mogajis, Mogaji Asimiyu Ariori, and Coordinator, Ibadan Compound Peace Initiative, said the position of Iyaloja-General has nothing to do with where someone comes from.
They said only due process, not zoning determines who becomes the Iyaloja-General of Oyo State.
The statement called on residents of the state to caution Abeo, adding that her utterances and desperation against the will of the majority of market men and women across the state, who voted Alhaja Saratu Konibaje as the authentic Iyaloja-General of Oyo State was unbecoming of her person.
They claimed Abeo’s desperation is a clear indication that she has nothing to offer market men and women across the state, adding that from all indication, she is not worthy of the position of Iyaloja-General.
The stakeholders urged Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, to ratify the election that produced Alhaja Saratu Konibaje as the Iyaloja-General of the state.
“Does Iyaloja’s tussle has to do with the town you come from or following due process? There is nothing special if market men and women decided that this is what they want. Is this about hatred for Ibadan?
“All market men and women have decided that they want Konibaje, who was the Otun (second in command) Iyaloja-General of Oyo State when Mama Kola Daisi, the then Iyaloja of Oyo State was alive
“Asides being the second in command before the demise of Mama Kola Daisi, Konibaje’s nomination also followed due process.
“Konibaje’s letter was signed and endorsed by seven out of the nine blocks of market men and women across the state. We want the government to confirm Konibaje; this is the position of Ibadan land and Oyo State people as a whole,” the statement added.
Publisher challenges Abeo to publish evidence of N1.2m fraud
Meanwhile, the publisher of naijanewstoday.com, an online news platform in Ibadan, Prince Adetunji Fabode, has challenged Abeo to publish evidence of her allegations of N1.2 million fraud against him or face the full wrath of the law.
Abeo had in a publication last week, claimed that Fabode defrauded some people in her camp the sum of N1.2 million.
Reacting, Fabode gave Abeo a 48-hour ultimatum to release the evidence.
“One of the constitutional duties of the media is to be the last hope of the masses and to report verifiable, timely and realistic news in order to feed the public the true picture of happenings around them without bias or favouritism.
“I am not unaware of the crude and semi-informed minds who have chosen the path of blogging to become stooge in the hands of a person who has no track record of truth, but seeking relevance through dubious means in order to gain prominence as a self-acclaimed Iyaloja, Mrs. Folashade Nurudeen Abeo,” Fabode said.