-Allege Basorun and Laguna of Complicit
– Call for due process in Selecting the next Alaafin
– Caution Prof. Akintola Over Interference
The process of selecting a new King is not uncommon in the history of Oyo and other parts of Yorubaland. Following the passing of His Imperial Majesty, Alaafin Adeyemi III, the Oyomesi quickly got to work to commence the selection process for a new Alaafin who will occupy the vacant throne.
On September 5th, 2022, the Oyomesi summoned all the Princes of the Agunloye Ruling House to a meeting at the Aganju Court located within the Palace of the Alaafin of Oyo. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a briefing on the procedure for selecting a new Alaafin. High Chief Yusuf Akinade Ayoola, the Basorun of Oyo, addressed the gathered Princes and informed them that there would be a screening interview to determine who would be qualified to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which was an IFA oracle consultation. All the Princes in attendance appreciated the Oyomesi for their briefing and expressed their belief that they would follow due process as enunciated by the Basorun of Oyo.
From September 5 to September 15, 2022, the screening exercise for the selection process began. Sixty-five (65) Princes were interviewed after paying a screening fee of N200,000.00. All participants were told that they would be invited to another meeting to discuss the outcome of the screening exercise. However, no meeting has been called by Basorun of Oyo yet. The sixty-five (65) Princes who participated in the screening exercise were still waiting for Basorun to call the meeting, but he announced on various online media and social media that he had picked ten candidates without the knowledge and consent of other members of Oyomesi.
Basorun of Oyo did not reveal the identities of the ten candidates he selected, nor did he inform the sixty-five princes about the criteria used for their selection. This is a clear violation of the due process.
The second phase of the selection process involves consulting the IFA oracle, but Basorun and Lagunna have stubbornly refused to permit such consultation. This is another serious violation of the due process. We challenge Basorun and Lagunna to disclose when and where the IFA oracle consultation was held, as well as the names of princes and Oyomesi who attended and conducted the consultation, and the names of government representatives who were present.
These are important questions that demand answers. Furthermore, we demand that Basorun and Lagunna present themselves before the SANGO shrine to defend their claims on the IFA oracle consultation. We have also noticed propaganda in print and social media by Prof. Ishaq Akintola in defense of Basorun and Lagunna, despite his lack of knowledge about the flawed process. We challenge Prof. Akintola to provide evidence that Basorun of Oyo conducted the IFA oracle consultation as required by Oyo tradition. We also remind him that the choice of a new Alaafin is determined by the IFA oracle consultation and not religious sentiments
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