The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has issued an unexpected query to 16 First Class Ekiti Obas known as “the Pelupelu’s” over their failure to attend the meetings of the Ekiti State Council Of Obas currently being headed by the Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi and the functions of the State governments.
According to the query, the 16 ‘Pelupelu’ Obas have been directed to respond to the query within 72 hours of its acknowledgement.
Before now, the ‘Pelupelu’ Obas had stopped attending the meetings of the Ekiti State Council of Obas since August 2019 when the State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi officially appointed the Alawe Of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi as the Chairman of the Ekiti State Council of Obas whom they said was not traditionally qualified to be so appointed to hold the position. Since then, the Ekiti 16 ‘Pelupelu’ Obas have been slugging it out with Fayemi’s administration over the matter.
According to the content of the letter of the query, which reads thus: “it has come to the notice of Mr. Governor that your Royal Majesty has not been attending the monthly Statutory Meetings of the State Council of Traditional Rulers and the State Official Functions since August 2019”.
Continuing, the letter stated that “your conspicuous absence at the Council Meetings and State Official Functions, without any excuse or justification is considered inimical to the proper administration of the Chieftaincy Institution you represent”.
“Therefore, Mr. Governor has directed that your Royal Majesty should forward your representation for this inaction through this Office within 72 hours of the receipt of this letter”, the letter concluded. The said letter was signed by one Mr. A.O. Adeoye on behalf of the Permanent Secretary in the Bureau of Chieftaincy Affairs Office of the State with reference number P&E/CH/118/Vol VII and dated 11th of March, 2020.
In an earlier action taken by the 16 Ekiti ‘Pelupelu’ Obas, they had sued the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi to stop him from recognising the Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi as the Chairman of the Ekiti State Council of Obas in the State.
The Obas in their suit with reference number HAD/76/2019 filed at an Ado Ekiti High Court was seeking to nullify the appointment of the Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti as the Chairman of Ekiti State Council of Obas.
They alleged in their petition that the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi erred in picking the Chairman of the Council of Obas outside the 16 ‘Pelupelu’ Obas in the State.
They told the Court to quash the decision of the Governor because his action was an outright violation of the Ekiti State Chieftaincy Law.
It was stated in the originating summon assented to by one Dr. B.A.M. Ajibade (SAN) on the 7th of August, 2019 and deposed to by the Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adewole on behalf of the other 15 ‘Pelupelu’ Obas; the first class traditional rulers were seeking an interlocutory injunction stopping the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi from swearing – in the Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti as the Chairman of the Ekiti State Council of Obas.
Those joined in the suit case included the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi as the 1st respondent; the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ekiti State, Barrister Wale Fapohunda as the 2nd respondent and the Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi as the 3rd respondent who happens to be the beneficiary of the position been legally challenged in the Court.
The lists of the ‘Pelupelu’ Ekiti Obas includes the Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, the Alara of Aramoko Ekiti, the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, the Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, the Olomuo of Omuo Ekiti, the Attach of Ayede Ekiti, the Oloye of Oye Ekiti, the Arinjale of Ise Ekiti, the Ologotun of Ogotun Ekiti, the Onitaji of Itaji Ekiti, the Elemure of Emure Ekiti, the Alaaye of Efon Alaaye Kingdom, the Owa Ooye of Okemesi Ekiti, the Elekole of Ikole Ekiti, the Onisan of Isan Ekiti and the Oore of Otun Ekiti.
Historically, the 17th ‘Pelupelu’ Oba is the Deji of Akureland in Ondo State. The Deji of Akure was an active member of the ”Pelupelu’ in the old Ondo State before Ekiti State was created in 1996.
Meanwhile, a reliable source from one of the prominent Traditional Palace in Ekiti State confirmed receiving the query requesting his Kabiyesi to respond within the 72hours.
A reliable source also confirmed to PMParrot that the 16 ”Pelupelu’ Obas held an emergency meeting on Wednesday at the Palace of Ewi of Ado Ekiti where far reaching decisions were reached on the issue of the query.
Watch out for update on this.
Packaged by Emmanuel Adeniran
