Oba Saliu Adetunji, the Olubadan of Ibadan land, has reacted to the removal threat issued against him by the 21 Ibadan kings, said they acted out of ignorance.
He stressed that despite the level of education of the high chiefs-turned-kings, they seemed to have forgotten that there were cases in court challenging their elevation by Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State.
The 21 kings, who were on August 27, 2017 installed by Ajimobi, had on Monday gave 21-day ultimatum to the monarch to be of good conduct or risk being removed from the Olubadan throne.
At a press conference addressed by the 21 kings at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the leader of the group, Oba Lekan Balogun, who is also the Otun Olubadan of Ibadan land, had accused the monarch of taking unilateral decisions on behalf of the ‘Olubadan-Kings-in-Council’ and inciting the people against the state government.
But a statement signed on behalf of the Olubadan by his Director, Media and Public Affairs, Adeola Oloko, the first-class monarch said the kings’ claim exposed them as “end of the year entertainers.”
He noted that their action showed that they were feeling unsecure about their positions in the royal court after their ‘rush for multiple crowns and cheap royalties.’
While condemning the high chiefs’ attitude, the monarch called on the court to take note of their actions, noting that their utterances were equivalent of contempt of the court because they were co-defendants in the cases against their installation in court.
The statement said, “The king has described the purported threat of the 21 new Ibadan kings to recommend him for removal as an affront to the people of Ibadan and end of the year entertainment programme.
“The frontline monarch, who stated that the so-called Oba-in-Council was unknown to the Oyo State Chieftaincy Laws, wondered how a group of educated individuals such as the embattled high chiefs could resort to illegality by commenting on a matter before the court.
“Oba Adetunji, who has pleaded with the court to take judicious notice of the persistent contempt of court on the matter before it by the defendants in recent times, is of the opinion that if a scapegoat is not made of at least one or two culprits, there may be no end to court contempt.”
