The 10 sacked Egba chiefs by the Olu of Orile Ilawo, Oba Professor Alexander MacGregor, on Wednesday, fired back, saying he lacks such powers.
The Chiefs declared that Oba MacGregor is not the prescribing authority over Ilawo Kingdom.
Oba MacGregor last week sacked the Oluwo of Ilawo, Chief Oluwole Dosunmu, the Balogun of Ilawo, Chief Abraham Soyoye, Jagunna of Ilawo, Fatai Sodimu and seven others, over their alleged involvement in the illegal sales of community lands, insubordination, flagrant disrespect to the royal stool and constituted authority.
Oba MacGregor, flanked by some Chiefs, said the embattled Chiefs continue to sell lands belonging to the people of the community with impunity while faking themselves to be Chiefs in Ilawo town.
He alleged that the three Chiefs and other illegal Chiefs have sold not less than 1,600 acres of land without having the authority to do so.
But the chiefs denied the allegations, saying they were installed by the Osile of Oke Ona Egba, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso who is the prescribing authority over Ilawo Kingdom some years back even before the coronation of Oba MacGregor two years ago.
One of the chiefs and Balogun of Ilawo, High Chief Abraham Shoyoye said that he was surprised hearing the news of their sack by Oba MacGregor over the news.
Shoyoye described the monarch’s sacking of the 10 chiefs as exercise in futility because Osile of Oke Ona is still the prescribed authority over Ilawo township.
“If anything would change, the law must change. So his supposed removal of the chiefs is ultravires. He didn’t install us and can’t remove us. What you don’t give, you can’t take, ” the Balogun said.
He said “I believe he should know better as a learned person. He was talking about selling of land, there’s no way the township can sell any land anywhere in the township. Money was not paid to the township but to the owners of lands that has the right to part with their land for development.
“It’s also the tradition, the owners can give fractions of the proceeds to the township to use for infrastructure development in the township. The sad land was negotiated by the landowners and township heads acted as witness.
“Oba Olusegun Macgregor intention to get Ilawo out of OkeOna Egba is not appropriate and appreciated by the township. He should realize that everyone including any Oba in Ogun State are under the law that set them in position, going against such law is violation which can remove him if not careful.”
Speaking with newsmen in Abeokuta,
the Aro of Ilawo, Chief Olufemi Adebayo alleged that Oba MacGregor was only being mischievous, insincere and probably power drunk with his announcement of deposition of 10 chiefs in the kingdom.
Chief Adebayo said “It is a lie that we sold land, it is the individuals who owned the land that sold them. Only when they sold their land, they gave us a percentage because we are the original owner.
“We have a gazette that anybody who sells land in any of our communities will give us 50%. The land he was talking about was sold about six or seven years ago during the reign of the king before him and part of what we were given then was used to provide 24 hour water supply to our community.
“Rather than blackmailing us, if he knows that he has a good case against us he should file a suit against us. There is no police division that he has not taken us to over this matter including Zone 2, Lagos and Abuja but he has always come back home defeated.”
“He is going against the provisions of section 24 of the Ogun State Chief Laws of 2021 which forbids a king from exercising his powers beyond his domain and local government. Why come to Obafemi-Owode, Abeokuta North or Ewekoro, he’s just trying to cause problems. Osile is the prescribed authority over Ilawo Kingdom and that is the law.”
Chief Adebayo has however called on Gov Dapo Abiodun as well as the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland to call Oba MacGregor to order before the conflict snowballs into a full blown crisis.
Speaking earlier, the Oluwo of Ilawo, Chief Oluwole Dosunmu also corroborated the stand of other sacked chiefs in the kingdom explaining that Oba MacGregor’s proclamation lacked substance and should be ignored.
Dosunmu said that there was never a time the chiefs sold any land revealing that it has always been the land owners who sold their land after which they will give part of the proceeds to the community.
The 80-year old community leader said that Oba MacGregor was only trying to stoke violence and cause a crisis in the kingdom with his unguarded utterance and actions and that the government should intervene on time to prevent a full blown crisis.
