The Osoja Royal Family of Ikeja in Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos State has petitioned the state Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, urging him to disregard a recent claim by some individuals that a candidate has been adopted to fill the vacant stool.
The family in a letter to the governor, dated August 10, 2020, appealed to Sanwo-Olu to as a matter of urgency to intervene by installing one out of the two remaining nominated sons of Osoja Family as the Olu of Ikeja land.
The stool of Olu of Ikeja has remained vacant since the demise of Oba Rauf Amore, who died six years ago.
The letter, which was signed by Prince AbdulKareem Osoja, on behalf of the family, alleged that certain individuals recently sponsored a publication to claim that the Osoja royal family, whose turn it was to produce the next Olu of Ikeja land, had picked one Prince Wasiu Adeleye as the next monarch.
“Reacting to their claims, we want to state that it is a blatant lie and a fallacy of deception. They are out to put the name of the highly placed Osoja Royal Family into disrepute.
“The family long ago sent a disclaimer to this effect via a letter dated 9th October 2014 with Ref No: ORH/AD/2014/02. The family strongly reaffirms and again states without fear that the Osoja Royal House of Ikeja did not at any time appoint Prince Wasiu Adeleye as the only candidate as publicly claimed by the mischief-makers.
“The Osoja Royal family forwarded a letter Dated 22ND December 2014 with Ref No: ORH/AD/2014/03 containing three names of its sons (Prince Shamsideen Adeleye (now late), Prince Nurudeen Adeleye and Prince Wasiu Adeleye) and asked the government to pick based on merit, a person with an impeccable and unquestionable character, which the government had since been acting upon.
“The Osoja Royal Family of Ikeja wants to use this medium to sound a note of warning to whom it may concern, to henceforth desist from infringing on the family’s rights, hence making claims that can jeopardise the already existing progress in respect to the filling of vacant seat of Olu of Ikeja by the family,” part of the letter read.
They, however, called on security agencies to kindly invite the “self-acclaimed chiefs”, namely, High Chiefs Rufai Afariogun, Lateef Olukosi and Jamiu Ekerin, investigate their claims and put them in check if found wanting.