Adebayo Adenrele
The Ekiti State Government, has placed a kingmaker in Eda Ile, Ekiti East Local Government Area, Chief Oluwaseyi Sogo, on six-month probation to seek restitution over alleged divisive tendencies and insubordination to the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Omotayo Adeniran Oso.
Instead of outright removal being sought by Eleda-in-Council, Mrs Afuye, pleaded that the Chief, who is the Ojomu of Eda Ile and second- in- Command, should be given six months moratorium to seek for forgiveness and mend his ways, failing which the government will have no choice than to strip him of his traditional title .
The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief Monisade Afuye, gave the order, on Friday, in Ado Ekiti, while presiding over a brewing intra-communal crisis at Eda Ile community between the monarch and the embattled chief.
The intervention was sequel to a petition written by Makanjuola Esan Chamber, Legal Practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, on behalf of Eleda-in-Council, raising allegations that Chief Sogo, was being divisive, disobedient and disrespectful to Oba Oso.
Following his alleged unbridled misdemeanour and unruly conducts, the town called for his immediate removal to halt his negative tendencies in the town.
Presiding over the matter, Afuye, in a statement by her Special Assistant Media, Victor Ogunje, directed the embattled traditional chief to seek forgiveness from the monarch and other chiefs for his wrongdoings within the six months window, or face outright removal as a kingmaker .
“What the government of Governor Biodun Oyebanji wants is peace in all the communities and it is sad that Chief Sogo has betrayed the confidence reposed in him as a kingmaker and someone who was supposed to be loyal to the traditional ruler. There were enough evidence to show how disloyal you are to Eleda.
“But there is always a room for repentance. Go and seek forgiveness if truly you want to remain in this your position. We are giving you six months probation to mend your ways, if you fail to do so, then you will be stripped of your title and the town will appoint another person in your place”.
Lending credence to Mrs Afuye’s position, the Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Home Affairs, Hon. Ojo Atobioke, said for Chief Sogo to continue to function in his position, he must reconcile fully with the monarch and members of his council.
Hon. Atibioke pleaded on behalf of the estranged Chief that he should be given a second chance to show penitence and seek restitution to strengthen his relationship with the traditional ruler.
Establishing the allegations further during the proceeding, Oba Oso and a community leader, Engr. Ademola Adegbamigbe, whose positions were corroborated by other kingmakers, accused the embattled Chief of aiding illegal logging at Eda Ile’s Forest Reserve, contrary to the position of the town that such economically beneficial area must be preserved.
Oba Oso alleged the traditional title holder of allegedly causing division, by instigating the quarters under him to boycott the annual Eda Ile Day, while also breeding thugs among the youths to disorganise the community.
“Looking at all these actions, we wrote this petition and call for the removal of Chief Sogo as the Ojomu of Eda Ile, because we know that the government has the power and it is in line with the law”,
But Chief Sogo in his response, denied all the accusations that he was disrespectful to the monarch, divisive and breeding thugs to disrupt the peace of the town, promising to seek genuine reconciliation with the monarch.
He said he hasn’t acted in any form to suggest that he was plotting to divide the town into two, by creating cleavages among the quarters, or tried to instigate the chiefs and youths loyal to him to insult the monarch as being claimed.