The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, has rubbished reports that he was planning to turban a Seriki Hausawa for the community.
Oba Adejugbe described the allegation as baseless and handiwork of detractors, adding that turbanisation activities would never be entertained in the palace since it was against the tradition in Ado Ekiti kingdom.
The monarch said that the palace had only planned to install one Abdul Yusuf as the Asiwaju of Hausa in Ado community billed for June.
Chief Bayo Ogunmodimu, the Odole of Ado-Ekiti and Chairman of a seven-member committee of the Ewi-in-Council set up by the palace to address the misleading report, said at a press briefing in Ado-Ekiti that following the misrepresentation, the palace had postponed the installation activity.
Ogunmodimu said, “It is clear to any reasonable, thinking and proper Yoruba person, especially an Ekiti man, that Kabiyesi only installs a worthy recognised iconic man or woman in the community as a chief in the palace and will not entertain turbanisation activities.
“We had prepared a venue for his reception, but to our dismay, he never showed up. The organising committee of his movement came to the palace to tender their unreserved regret and apology for not seeing the long awaited Sunday Igboho.”
According to PUNCH, the Chairman, Elders Advisory Council of Ilana Omo Odua, Prince Bayo Adeniran, had earlier, at a press conference to address the insinuations that Oba Adejugbe shunned Igboho during the Yoruba Nation rally in Ado Ekiti last year, said “Such are fake, concocted and imagination of the authors targeted at smearing the image of the monarch.”
Adeniran said the traditional ruler as a frontline Yoruba monarch and leader was alive to the cause of the race, saying, “In fairness to the Ewi and the Ewi-in Council, the Ilana group was well received. This was exactly what gave us the impression that the Ewi and the Ewi-in-Council were not against Ilana Omo Odua.
“We want to put on record that Oba Adejugbe did all his best and gave us the support and the very good representation that we needed even as at that time. For anybody to come around and say anything against the personal integrity of the Ewi and the Ewi-in-Council is what we go against,” Adeniran said.