Ogun monarch rejects installation of Iyalode General in Ifo LG
Ogun monarch rejects installation of Iyalode General in Ifo LG
The Alagbado in Council, under the leadership of Alagbado of Agbado in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Adedayo Shyllon, has rejected the purported appointment and public announcement of Mrs. Ayoka Agboke as “Ifo Local Government Iyalode General’, describing the installation as null and void.
A statement issued by the Council on Friday described the announcement as misleading and a direct violation of the Chiefs Law of Ogun State, both in its original form and as amended in 2021, as well as established Yoruba traditional processes.
The statement read in part: ”There is no provision under Ogun State Law, nor in any government gazette, for the creation of the title of ‘Ifo Local Government Iyalode General’. No authority was given to political office holders, including the Local Government Chairman, to appoint such a title.
”The only statutorily recognised traditional councils in Ogun State are the Egba, Ijebu, Remo and Yewa Traditional Councils. Ifo LGA falls under these structures. No ad-hoc body has the legal authority to confer chieftaincy titles of ‘General’ status across a Local Government.
”The High Court of Justice, Ogun State, Ipokia Judicial Division, in Suit No. HCT/199/2012 delivered on 25th May 2017 by Hon. Justice S.M. Owodunni, held that _“late Akinrinade is not a Baale or Oba in Agbado and not capable of appointing any chiefs in Agbado community.”_
”By this judgement, all appointments made by him were nullified. It further follows that the appointment of a chief by an unrecognized Baale of Agbado is null and void. Consequently, the confirmation by Ifo Local Government is also null and void, as _you cannot put something on nothing.
”Furthermore, the Ifo Local Government Council cannot ignore the Ogun State Government ( Bureau of Chieftaincy Affairs) Circular Letter dated 8/8/03, which served as a reminder and directive to desist from issuing certificates for illegal appointments and to unrecognized Baales across the Local Government.
”At no time in any meeting of recognized Obas in Ifo LGA was the Olofin of Isheri nominated or voted for with powers to speak for or endorse appointments on behalf of all Traditional Rulers in Ifo. His purported endorsement therefore cannot represent the collective position of the Traditional Institution in Ifo.
”Agbado Kingdom already has a recognized first-class Oba, Oba Adedayo Shyllon, The Alagbado of Agbado Kingdom, and a duly constituted legal Iyalode of the Kingdom. The Council cannot accept the appointment of an outsider with no relationship to Agbado Kingdom.
The statement urged the public to disregard the appointment noting that ”we affirm that where First Class and Second Class Obas exist across the Local Government, any such appointment must come from a recognized Kingdom in Ifo Local Government, and not to a person with no trace or root to any of the recognized kingdoms.
We call on the Ogun State Government and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to urgently caution against the proliferation of illegal titles that seek to undermine the recognized Alagbado in Council and the sacred institution of chieftaincy.”
