By Editor
The Ekiti State Government has placed the Elepe of Epe Ekiti in Ijero Local Government Area, Oba Williams Adesoye, on probation following persistent agitation by members of his community over allegations of unruly behaviour and high-handedness.
The decision was taken on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the palace of the Ajero of Ijero Ekiti, Oba Joseph Adebayo Adewole.
The meeting was led by the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, as part of efforts to resolve the lingering crisis between the monarch and his subjects.
Oba Adesoye has been locked in a prolonged dispute with the community elites and youths, a situation that reportedly led to his eviction from the palace and renewed calls for his deposition.
Addressing stakeholders, Mrs Afuye appealed to aggrieved youths and community leaders to give the monarch another opportunity to correct his shortcomings.
In a statement issued by her Special Assistant on Media, Victor Ogunje, the Deputy Governor stressed that the priority of Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration is peace and development.
“What the government wants is peace and nothing but peace. You cannot afford to maintain a hard stance on this matter. We must look at the bigger picture, which is the development of Epe Ekiti as part of Ekiti State,” she said.
She noted that several developmental projects, including road construction, were ongoing in Ijero Local Government Area while a critical road project was also going on in the community warning that persistent crises could hinder progress in the community.
Announcing the resolutions reached after a closed-door meeting, Oba Adewole disclosed that Oba Adesoye has been restrained from returning to the palace pending the resolution of the dispute.
He added that the monarch would be placed on probation and required to sign an undertaking to be of good conduct, while internal mechanisms would be put in place to resolve the impasse.
During the probation period, Oba Adewole said, the government, traditional authorities and the community would closely monitor the monarch’s conduct.
“We pray he changes his ways so that his subjects can have a change of mind concerning his situation,” the Ajero said, while urging the community to temper justice with mercy.
Earlier, Oba Adewole cautioned youths and elites against taking unilateral actions, reminding them that there are established procedures for the installation and removal of traditional rulers.
He explained that a monarch could only be removed through death, lawful disciplinary measures or a court process, stressing that deposition without government consent was illegal.
He added that the embattled monarch had acknowledged his mistakes and expressed readiness to make amends, appealing to the community to shelve the demand for his removal.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Home Affairs, Hon. Ojo Atibioke, warned against actions capable of triggering unrest, noting that such developments could stall ongoing projects, including the road construction in the town.
He further cautioned that crises in any of Ekiti’s over 140 communities could escalate and spread if not properly managed.
Speaking on behalf of the Epe Ekiti community, the National Chairman of the Epe Progressive Union, Prince Adebowale Alabi, said the agitation was driven by concerns over the monarch’s alleged disrespectful and authoritarian conduct, which he said contravened the community’s traditions and customs.
Alabi commended the state government and the Ajero of Ijero Ekiti for their intervention, adding that placing the monarch on probation and compelling him to sign a good conduct agreement would help regulate his behaviour.
Dignitaries at the meeting included the Chairman of Ijero Local Government, Chief Abayomi Folowosele; traditional rulers; the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, Mr Leke Adefolaju; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Chieftaincy and Home Affairs, Barrister Clement Ayoola; and other community leaders.
