….Says Monarch never hides his dislike for the party
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji of compelling non-indigenes to vote for the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the forthcoming elections.
The party in a statement signed by its Acting Chairman, Sooko TAJUDEEN LAWAL, and made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Saturday, frowned at the directive, saying the directive was both illegal and undemocratic.
According to the APC, the monarch has never hidden his dislike for the party, adding that he celebrated the loss of the party as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on July 17, 2022.
Lawal implored the affected non-indigenes to resist all illegal directives that might be coming from any quarters that infringe on any of their fundamental human rights.
He advised that a monarch should be a father to all politicians irrespective of their political leanings in order to discourage unnecessary bickerings which flaunted royal favouritism might engender.
The statement read in parts; “The APC frowns at an undemocratic directive given to some non-indigenes of Osogbo by the monarch of the state capital, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, that compelled them to vote for all the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) during the forthcoming general elections.
“A source closed to the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Oyetunji, revealed that the monarch summoned the leaders of Hausa, Igbo, Fulani, Ebira to a meeting a few days ago where he told them that whoever among the non-indigenes who refuses to vote for the PDP candidates would see his red eyes.
“It was learnt that all the leaders of the mentioned non-indigenes living in Osogbo honoured the royal invitation except the Igbo leader who blatantly refused to attend the meeting.
“The monarch was said to have stated that he wasn’t surprised at the absence of the Igbo leader as it has become his habit to refuse his past directives.
“It was also gathered that the Ataoja who knew that the order he was dishing out was both illegal and undemocratic directed those who attended the meeting to switch off their telephones in order for the video and audio versions of the meeting not to be captured.
“It is on record that the monarch has never hidden his dislike for the APC as he celebrated the loss of the party as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on July 17, 2022.
“It is this despisement that the Ataoja has for the APC and Mr Gboyega Oyetola that has not made the Oba Oyetunji congratulate Oyetola since the governorship tribunal sacked his preferred candidate, the embattled Governor Ademola Adeleke, and withdrew his certificate of return to be given to Oyetola, the winner of the governorship election.
“The directive handed down by the Ataoja to the non-natives living in Osogbo at the said meeting breached their fundamental right of association.
“Such directive from the Ataoja wasn’t within the purview of his constitutional roles and it’s capable of precipitating avoidable violence among the inhabitants of Osogbo”.
