Alara Stool: Five Ruling Houses Rejects Newly Installed Monarch

…Urges Govt To Honour Subsisting Court Order

All the five ruling houses in Ara Community, Egbedore Local Government Council of Osun State have rejected the newly installed Alara of Ara, Oba Olubayo Iwindapo.

Members of the ruling houses at a protest staged in Ara On Wednesday, argued that Iwindapo who was installed and presented with certificate of office on 28th January 2019 by Osun State Government is not known to all the existing ruling houses in the community.

The five ruling houses are Ajadi, Adedijo, Odusina, Laagbo and Adumori.

Armed with placards with various inspriptions such as”Approval of Iwindapo as Ara King is a day light robbery”, “Iwindapo is not from Ara, he is from Lalupon in Lagelu Local Government Council of Oyo State, dont impose him as Alara”, “Iwindapo approval is against the pending case”, “Dont disobey court injunctions on Ara Chieftaincy Title”, “Dont disrupt our tradition and heritage” among others, the ruling houses declared that Iwindapo did not belong to any of the existing five ruling houses in Ara community and consequently not entitle to fill the stool.

Some of the aggrieved members of the ruling houses while staging protest

They noted that the chieftiancy title of Ara Community is already before the court of law and therefore and we are strongly appealling to all stakeholders to comply with court directive in the interest of peace.

Speaking with newsmen on behalf of the five ruling houses, Prince Emmanuel Ilufoye from Ajadi ruling house of Ara maintained that untold injustice was melted against Ajadi Ruling House and the entire Omo mojo (all the Ruling Houses of Ara) in the selection processes of new Alara.

According to him, “we make bold to say that One Dr. Iwindapo Olubayo who is still parading himself as Alara of Ara is a foreigner in, and not a member of Ajadi Ruling House of Ara, but he is from Lalupon, Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria

“It should also be stated clearly that only three candidates namely; (1) Prince Gideon Olufemi Adegboye (2) Prince Samson Oladunmoye Ilufoye and Prince Victor Oyekanmi Adegboye (male line) purchased expression of interest form legally and have them endorsed by the Family Head.

” The said Dr. Iwindapo Olubayo who purchased his own form through the backdoor did not present his own form to the Head of the Family for endorsement.

“We also wish to restate here that the customary law regulating the selection of anyone to fill the vacant stool of Ara whenever same occurs, is the registered Alara of Ara chieftaincy Declaration of 1979 which is not only the Statutory Provisions governing the conduct and the filling of the vacant stool of Ara, but the ground norm to be strictly observed on the issue of Alara Chieftaincy even in any chieftaincy matters. Unfortunately, this customary law which is the major instrument in a registered Chieftaincy was also ignored in the process of nomination/ selection of Alara.

“It also becomes necessary to inform Mr Governor that several necessary legally allowable steps were taken including issuance of several correspondences to the Governor’s Office and other concerned Government agencies on the need to comply strictly with the 1979 Alara of Ara Chieftaincy Declaration, all to no avail.

“Having discovered that the due process was being crippled, the Head and eligible- male line contestants from Ajadi Ruling House approached Osun State High Court, Ejigbo Judicial Division in order to correct the anomaly vide Suit No. HEJ/09/2019: PRINCE EMMANUEL O. ILUFOYE & ORS VS THE GOVERNOR OF OSUN STATE & ORS is still pending at the Ejigbo High Court as we are here today.

“We strongly believe that this is the only civilized way to handle the matter and we also state that our law abiding position is borne out of civilization, wisdom, maturity and not due to our weakness nor cowardness.

“Based on the said suit, a court injunction was granted by the Ejigbo High Court on the 3rd October, 2019 ordering all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum until the case is determined. The court injunction was thus served on all parties on the 4th October, 2019. Viz:- The Governor’s office, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Ministry of Justice; Egbedore Local Government and Published in Daily Independent of Friday October 25th, 2019, page 18.

“We are therefore using this medium to once again appeal to our amiable Governor whom we strongly believe is not in the true pictures of the undue processes that have ravaged the selection procedures of Alara of Ara.

“We urge Governor Adegboyega Oyetola to prevail on the concerned agencies to right the wrongs and allow the court order to stand by maintaining status-quo-ante till the court determines the genuineness of all the candidates as contained in the 1979 Alara Chieftaincy Declaration.

“We hereby vehemently oppose the imposition of an indigene of Oyo on Ara people. We equally reject a daylight robbery of our heritage and tradition perversion.
We love and count on our dear Governor as we believe that he will rescue us from the present quagmire in Ara.

The ruling houses therefore admonished the state government and members of the public to stop recognizing Dr. Iwindapo Olubayo as new Alara of Ara until the court of law determines the case before the court adding that at present, there is no Alara in place in the eye of the law court since the case is pending.

They further urged Governor Oyetola to honour the subsisting Court Order served on his office on the 4th October, 2019.

Reacting, the new Alara of Ara, Oba Olubayo Iwindapo said he hails from one of the ruling houses in the town, saying he is not a foreigner.

He described the claims of other aggrieved members of the ruling houses as baseless and unfounded, adding that if they knew they have genuine case to pursue in court they wouldn’t have called on anybody to come to their aid.

He said, “Their coming to report to you is that not prejudicial? If they believe in court, they don’t have to call anybody. If I am stranger to them, I am from a ruling house and members of the ruling house, who dont believe in me have gone to court. Why dont they leave them to sought themselves out?

” There is no edit that says molebis have anything to do with the appointment of Alara. They have not business whatsoever. They are hungry people. The kingmakers are the kingmakers are the ones that are recognised.

“And there are 18 kingmakers. 7 are the authentic ones and 11 are the warrant chiefs. Out of 18 of them, none of them thinks this person is a stranger. The ruling houses are just five in Ara while kingmakers are from 18 different compounds. I am from one of the five ruling houses. They are confused.”