Osun State Traditional Rulers’ Council on Friday suspended Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, for six months from its meeting.
At the 98-member Traditional Council meeting held under heavy security were about 60 monarchs.
The traditional rulers present were the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Adedotun; Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Lawal; Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun and Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Rauf Adedeji.
Others were Olufon of Ifon, Oba Maroof Magbegbola; Olojudo of Ido Osun, Oba Aderemi Adedapo; Olowu of Kuta, Oba Hammeed Oyelude; Orangun of Oke Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolarin; Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi; Agbowu of Ogbaagbaa, Oba Dirkrullahi Akinropo; Owamiran of Esa Oke and Oba Adeyemi Adediran, among others.
The suspension was based on allegations of disrespect for Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and Alake of Egba, Oba Adedokun Gbadebo at different times in the past.
Although the council’s emergency meeting was convened to discuss alleged attack on Oba Akinropo by Oba Akanbi at a peace meeting held in Zone XI Headquarters of Nigeria Police Force last Friday.
Akinropo was, however, left off the hook over the matter after the council considered explanations by AIG Bashir Makama, who told the gathering there was no physical assault on Akanbi, even though there was an altercation between them.
The police boss was said to have been asked for the CCTV footages of the meeting, but he was said to have claimed that the gadget was not inside the venue of the meeting on the day of the incident.
A committee headed by Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Adedotun, was also constituted by the council to further investigate the matter involving Akanbi and Obas in Iwo land.
Giving accounts of what transpired at the meeting, Akanbi insisted he did not attack Akinropo but agreed they were involved in verbal altercation.
Sources at the meeting said royal fathers arrived at the decision to suspend Akanbi from their meeting after series of complaints regarding his relationship with other traditional rulers
A source at the meeting, who pleaded anonymity, told newsmen that the royal fathers referred to a complaint against Akanbi by Alaafin of Oyo.
The source said, “The royal fathers considered some complaints against Akanbi. There were complaints against him by Alake, Alaafin, Oluwo Oke and Ooni.
“The move was to save traditional institution from being further dragged in the mud. It was not because of what happened between him and Agbowu.”
It was further learnt that initially, five-year suspension and N2m fine were suggested by a monarch against Akanbi, the meeting later arrived at two different decisions of six months and three months suspension.
After putting the two decisions to vote, more royal fathers were said to have voted in support of six months’ suspension against Akanbi.
Akanbi was earlier asked to excuse the meeting, alongside Akinropo and Olu of Ile Ogbo.
When he was invited back and informed of the decision to suspend him, he stated that he could not be suspended.
Speaking with newsmen on his way out of the meeting, Akanbi said he could not be suspended.
Briefing newsmen on the outcome of their meeting, Orangun of Ila, Oba Adedotun, who spoke in Yoruba language said, “We all agreed that Oluwo should be suspended for six months. The suspension is not because of the altercation he had with Agbowu of Ogbaagbaa.
“The suspension was because of his attitude towards traditional rulers within Osun and outside the state.
“He did not show respect to the traditional rulers at the meeting and showed same attitude towards the Alaafin of Oyo, Alake of Egbaland, Oluwo-Oke and the Ooni of Ile-Ife. We believe enough is enough.
“We also resolved that a 10-man committee would try to resolve the dispute between him and the Agbowu of Ogbaagbaa and other traditional rulers. We also asked Oluwo not to speak to the media again on the matter.”
My suspension political, says Oluwo
Meanwhile, Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has described as political his purported suspension from Osun State Traditional Council.
In a statement on Friday by his Press Secretary, Ali Ibrahim, Akanbi said the point given by the council was porous, lacked logic and did not portray the revered traditional council in good light.
He said they refused to address the allegation that he punched a monarch, the reason for the meeting.
He said any suspension from the OSTC meeting would still be subjected to the approval of the state government.
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