Aree stool: Kingmakers warn against appointment of warrant Chief

Aree stool: Kingmakers warn against appointment of warrant Chief

The kingmakers in Iree, Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State have cautioned the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Adebayo Adeleke against appointment of warrant Chief, saying the appointment will hinder the process of appointing the best traditional ruler for the town.

The kingmakers alleged that the decision of Adeleke to appoint warrant Chief was to favour his preferred candidate for the stool of Aree of Iree.

The Commissioner who also hails from Iree was alleged to be sponsoring a candidate for the stool of Aree of Iree.

The stool became vacant about four years ago after the demise of Oba Jimoh Olayonu and all efforts to appoint a new traditional ruler for the town have yielded no positive result.

 The kingmakers who condemned the decision of  the commissioner to appoint warrant Chief, vowed to prevent bad precedence as they would reject moves by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to appoint Chief (Mrs) Serifat Adebayo, the Iyalode of Iree land to replace High Chief Jimoh Salami the late Easa of Iree.

It was gathered that the kingmakers were at a meeting to decide on the selection of a new monarch when they  received a letter aappointings Serifat Adebayo as one of the Kingmakers.

The kingmakers said such development was alien to the tradition and culture of the town, stressing that the tradition of the town does not allow appointing women to join the kingmakers.

The Aogun Of Iree said it has never been in the history of Iree that a woman will be selected to be among the kingmakers, noting that such will not be entertained in their lifetime.

He said “when they brought the letter from the State government that Iyalode has been appointed to join the kingmakers, we rejected it. Anything that is capable of causing disunity or uproar in Iree over the selection of our monarch will not be allowed.

“If government said they want to force on us another chief to join the kingmakers, they should choose another person not a woman. It has never been in the history of Aree in Council that women are included in the selection of a new monarch. They should not do anything that will tamper with our culture and tradition.

“If government should be allowed to do whatever they wish, and we allowed it, history will not be kind to us after we might have left, because it is our names that people will be mentioning, nobody will talk about those who were in government when it was done.

Reacting, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs, Prince Adebayo Adeleke, said “The appointment of a warrant chief is the sole responsibility of the government through the Local government authority. Any reputable person in the community can be appointed.

“The chiefs or anybody does not have the right or power to reject anybody appointed by the Govt as warrant chief.

“I believe the local govt is ready to continue with the process but our King makers are to be enlightened as to what the law permit them to do and what they can not do. We have appointed several warrant chiefs through concerned Local govt authority where a kingmaker is dead and that of Iree can’t be an exception.

“We lost the Eesa of Iree sometimes ago and the government has appointed the respected Iyalode of Iree to replace him as king maker," he said.