8 Osun monarchs dissociate from Jonathan’s ‘endorsement deal’ by Ooni

Some leading traditional rulers in Osun State
Tuesday dissociated themselves from the
endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan as a
preferred candidate for the Saturday presidential
election.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade had endorsed
Jonathan in his palace and directed some other
traditional rulers in Osun to point their beaded
walking sticks on Jonathan to pray for the
President’s success in the election.
In a communiqué signed by the traditional rulers
after their meeting at the palace of Akirun of Ikirun,
the monarchs faulted their colleagues in the state
who endorsed Jonathan at Ife.
The monarchs who attended the meeting and
signed the communiqué include
Oba Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi, the Aragbiji of
Iragbiji, Oba Abioye Oyebode Oluronke, the
Olukuku of Okuku, Oba Joseph Oladunjoye Fasikun,
the Olunisa of Inisa, Oba Olayiwola Olawale
Adedeji, the Akirun of Ikirun and Oba Rauf Adebayo
Olaniyan, the Elende of Eko-Ende.
Others are Oba Kelani Adekeye Oyedare, Oloyan of
Oyan, Oba Isaac Adetoyi
Adetunlurese, the Onirun of Oke-Irun, Oba Yusuf
Omoloye Oyagbodun, the Elerin of Erin Osun and
Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal, the Timi of Ede.
The monarch said the endorsement of President
Jonathan in Ife was
generating ripple among their subjects who
thought that the entire traditional ruler in the state
partook in the endorsement of the president.
The monarchs lamented that they were
embarrassed when some of their subjects
demanded for their own share from the hard
currency allegedly doled out by the president at
Ife.
According to the communiqué, “the general
impression is that all traditional rulers in Osun
State, without exception, were involved.
Consequently,our subjects have been accusing us,
demanding our explanation for engaging in such
an act. Some of them (our subjects) have also
demanded for their own share of the money we
collected”.
It continued “No doubt, this is an embarrassing
situation to us. For this reason, we have decided
to make it clear to the public that not all
traditional rulers in Osun were involved in the act”.
The monarchs said good governance that would
bring better life to their people is their main
concern and called on their subjects to
discountenance their issue of money and vote
according to their conscience.