ABEOKUTA – The Oba-elect of Orile-Ilawo, in Abeokuta North local government of Ogun state, Professor Alex Olusegun MacGregor has clarified that his ascension to the vacant stool of Orile-Ilawo was creation of state government and not by approval of any ruling houses.
Prof. MacGregor while addressing journalists on Tuesday as his ancestral home in Kobiti-Ilawo, Abeokuta said ascension to the throne in Orile-Ilawo was by government selection not by approval of any ruling houses or Ifa Oracle.
He explained that, there was no royal family or lineage in Ilawo that can lay claim to the stool.
THE ENCOUNTER NEWS reports that, some community leaders and residents of all the 63 communities that formed Orile Ilawo last Friday kicked against the declaration of MacGregor, describing him as an impostor who can’t lay claim to the Ilawo throne.
The residents in their hundreds stormed the palace of the Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland, Osile of Oke Ona, the Ogun state Governor’s office, and other notable places in the state to protest against the choice of MacGregor as the Oba-elect of Ilawo.
The protesters argued that, the confirmation of Chief MacGregor as Olu of Orile-Ilawo -elect was did not follow due process as the kingmakers and other ruling houses were not consulted.
But the Oba-elect said the process to have a royal crown in Ilawo began in 1999 when his father, the late Lisa of Egbaland and Oluwo of Ilawo, Captain Adebisi MacGregor approached the government to enable Ilawo acquire a crown by the virtue of being one of the original settlers in Egbaland.
He said the effort of his late father made the government of Otunba Gbenga Daniel in 2010 approved Obaship status for Orile-Ilawo under Oke-Ona Egba traditional council.
The Professor of Biopharmaceutics further added that, the government approval gave rise for the first Olu of Orile-Ona, Oba Adedapo Aina who died in November, 2021.
He stressed that, the demise of Oba Aina created a vacuum which allows him to contest for the kingship position alongside four other candidates.
“Five of us came out to contest after which I became an Oba-elect after a free and fair election conducted by the government. Ilawo Obaship is not a traditional crown. There is no ruling house in Orile-Ilawo. The stool of Orile-Ilawo is a government creation around 1999 at a time my father was Oluwo Ilawo and Lisa Egba. We never had a king, the first Head of Ilawo is Balogun Gbadamosi my grand father in 1916- 1966. Ilawo never had a crown, we had chiefs, it was my late father who started the process to enable Ilawo acquire a crown by the virtue of being one of the original settlers in Egba.
“Right now, Ilawo is part of Oke-Ona, so the stool in question is not an indigenous stool by our ancestors, but created in 1999.
“By the year 2010, OGD government said any township that has over 100 villages should be entitled to Obaship. It was government creation to balance what seems to be disparity between Egba and Ijebu.
“The first Olu of Orile Ilawo, was Oba Adedapo Aina, although, my father fought for the stool, he never show interest in the stool. This stool was created by the government, there were no ruling houses in Ilawo. It was the government that conducted the election and I emerged as the winner.”
He, however, assured that, as soon as he ascended the throne, he would decorate Chiefs that would form the kingmakers.
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