BY AKINWALE ABOLUWADE, IBADAN
Kingmakers in Ogbomoso have said that the decision of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is being awaited on the outcome of the selection of the new Soun of Ogbomoso.
The head of the kingmakers, Chief Sobalaje Otolorin, said that having submitted its report on the selection of the successor to the throne of the Soun of Ogbomoso, there was no going back on the process.
Otolorin said in an interview that the people of Ogbomoso were already waiting for the governor to act on the report.
He stated that the kingmakers screened all the 23 names that the Olaoye Ruling House submitted to them for the position, stressing that the law was not violated.
“We have completed the selection process and have forwarded our report to him (the governor) and that is where our job ends,” he said.
Asked of the name that was submitted as successor to the throne, Otolorin said, “wait for the governor’s decision.”
The family of late Justice Mofoye Oyetunde of Ile Aremo had alleged that a Director of the African Development Bank, Dr. Oyebode Oyetunde, was excluded in the selection process.
An elder in the family, Dr Usman Akano, said that the Soun Chieftaincy Law of 1957 prescribed that the family whose turn it was to produce the Soun would submit just one name to the kingmakers.
He added that if they found the person suitable, they would recommend him to the governor, but if not they would ask the family to send another name until a suitable prince is found.
The family urged the governor to order a fresh selection process, saying that nobody should be excluded.
The throne became vacant following the passage of Oba Oladunni Oyewumi on December 12, 2021, at the age of 95.
