Rights Group Brews Dust Over The Credibility Of New Ooni-Designate

With few days to the coronation of the new Ooni of Ife, fresh crisis is allegedly brewing over the competency of the Ooni of Ife elect, Prince Enitan  Adeyeye  Ogunwusi. A human rights group, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has raised fresh objections over the character and integrity of the monarch in waiting and called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arese ro arrest the Monarch in Waiting over allegation of a N400m fraud.

It would be recalled that Prince Ogunwusi, from the Giesi ruling house emerged Ooni-elect after the Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo struck out the suit instituted by the Lafogido ruling house challenging the 1980 Ife Chieftaincy declaration, which agreed with rotation of the stool of Ooni of Ife.

The Ife traditional council following the demise of Oba Okunade Sijuwade had tipped the Giesi as the ruling house to produce candidate to fill the vacant stool of Ooni of Ife. However,  aggrieved Lafigido  ruling house opposed the move and dragged the Ife traditional council and the state government to court.

But the Chief Judge of the State High Court, Justice Adepele Ojo, in her ruling, held that the Ooni Chieftaincy Declaration was made in September 14, 1979 and registered in January 28, 1980, adding that the plaintiffs should have instituted their suit within five years of registration of the declaration. She ruled that the suit is grossly incompetent, declaring that “the suit and the claim therein are accordingly dismissed.”

Even as the Ooni-elect who is currently  undergoing the traditional rite of passage, preparatory for his formal coronation and ascension to the throne, CHRSJ said that, “the stool of Ooni of Ife in Yorubaland is not an ordinary traditional institution in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, as any occupier of this stool after late Oba Okunade Sijuwade, should be a man of moral upright and symbol of truth that will be above board in all ramifications.”

Addressing a Press Conference at the International Press Centre (IPC), Ogba, Lagos on Wednesday, its Executive Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman said that Prince Ogunwusi should not have been selected to ascend to the Stool of Ooni when he had a  N400m forgery allegation hanging over his head.
Sulaiman cited a pending petition by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Rotimi Jacobs & Co Chambers, dated September 7th, 2015, where N400 million forgery allegation was raised against Prince Enitan Ogunwusi that he duped the late Ooni of Ife,Oba Okunade Sijuade Olubuse II over Royal Estate, and insisted that was wrong to select Prince Ogunwusi as Ooni when he had a criminal allegation hanging over his head.
According to him, the  alleged offence was contrary to the  Chapter 43 section 463-465 and chapter 44 section 467 sub-section 1A&B (L.N.112 of 1964,1976 N0.27) , chapter 46 section 484-489, chapter 47, 48&49 section 490-494 of the Criminal code act CAP ‘C’:38 and EFCC  Act with  cases and materials, Extras of ICPC and Money  Laundering act 2010, law of the federation, Criminal code law with questions and answers for Police College.

The text of the press conference read, “It is against this background that CHRSJ wrote a Petition Letter dated Monday 2nd November,2015 to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) calling for immediate prosecution of Prince Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi and his Company, Metropole Interproject Limited over an alleged N400million forgery and we also refer the Chairman of the EFCC to the EFCC’s letter dated17th September, 2015 to Principal Partner, Olawoyin (Legal Practitioners) and a letter dated23rd September, 2015 from Olawoyin & Olawoyin (Legal Practitioners) to EFCC on the subject matter.

“In view of the above analysis, the truth must be told to ourselves that Prince Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi is not fit to be selected as Ooni-Elect because anybody that would occupy such position should be a person of impeccable character and morally upright. The selection should not be based on only questionable wealth which the source is dirty,” Sulaiman  said.
He added that CHRSJ was “worried over the implication of choosing somebody of questionable character as Ooni of Ife, in no distance time, the eyes of those who perpetrated the evil act will soon be opopened the stool of Ooni of Ife should not be jeopardized because of somebody who fraudulently acquired wealth. We see the development as barbaric, inhuman, ungodly and disheartening which is not only heartless but a crime against humanity and God.”

According to him: “Nigeria as a nation has virtually lost its values and ethos. The offence of this nature should attract but most of the crimes were committed by our leaders because Nigeria leaders are law breakers like Prince Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, as evident in the on-going forgery allegation leveled against him (Ooni-Elect).

“We cannot be economical with the truth and reality because of what we are going to eat. People like Prince Enitan Ogunwusi emerged as Ooni-Elect because Nigeria is morally bankrupt, instead to be facing criminal charge of forgery and false pretence which attracted jail terms. The stool of Ooni of Ife in Yorubaland is not an ordinary traditional institution in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, as any occupier of this stool after late Oba Okunade Sijuwade, should be a man of moral upright and symbol of truth that will be above board in all ramifications”.

CHRSJ boss added that: “While seeing the traditional stools in Nigeria, especially, in Yorubaland as essential key to community and national development. We, (CHRSJ), are worried over the emergency of Prince Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi as Ooni-elect of Ile-Ife,the source of Yoruba race and we cannot also hide our disposition on the rationale behind the faulty selection process of the Ile-Ife kingmakers where Prince Adeyeye Ogunwusi was selected, when the allegation of N400m forgery was on his neck and Ogunwusi is yet to clear his name till the presentmoment.
“Our people, particularly, the innocent Nigerians should not be carried away by the kind of people that are trooping to the ancient town to pay homage to the Prince Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi during his sacred period because most of them are birds of the same feathers”.

Source: Daily Independent