The simmering battle over who controls Akure North has burst into the open as the Deji of Akure fired back at the Oloba-in-Council of Oba-Ile, branding their claims as “lies, distortions, and desperate attempts to rewrite history.”
In a fiery statement on Monday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Deji, Adeyeye Michael, accused Oba-Ile indigenes of deliberately misleading the public with false claims about the paramountcy of the Deji.
“The Deji remains the prescribed authority over the entire Akure land. That fact is sacred, historical, and non-negotiable,” he thundered.
The monarch rolled out official circulars from the Ondo State Government (1999 and 2007) and landmark court judgments, including a 2018 High Court ruling by Justice W.A. Akintoroye, all of which, it said, confirmed the Deji’s powers over minor chieftaincies in Akure North. The Court of Appeal, it stressed, upheld the rulings.
On the Oloba-in-Council’s claim that Obagbeyi was the first Deji of Akure, the palace scoffed:
“Obagbeyi was not the first Deji. He was the 11th, ruling between 1313 and 1363. He was maternally linked to Oba-Ile but was the son of Otemoye, the 7th Deji. History cannot be twisted to suit cheap propaganda.”
The statement took a direct swipe at Hon. Omoniyi Omodara, accusing him of being a serial troublemaker.
“He fought the late Oloba of Oba-Ile when in government, and now he wants to sow new seeds of discord. He must be watched closely,” the palace warned.
Reaffirming the Deji’s authority, the palace declared that only the Deji can appoint minor chiefs in Owode, Eleyowo, Araromi, and other Akure North and South communities. “Local government creation is for administration, not for destroying tradition,” it stressed.
The palace said with a hard punch: “Akure land has one paramount ruler – the Deji. Those who try to distort this truth are only fighting against history, tradition, and the will of the people.”
