The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has said that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State was just bluffing over his threat to take legal action against the five kingmakers of Oyo Town who rejected the appointment of Prince Akeem Owoade as the 45th Alaafin of Oyo.
Makinde issued the threat on Monday during the presentation of the certificate and instruments of office to Owoade at the Governor’s Office in Ibadan. There, he had threatened that any of the kingmakers (Oyomesi), who collected bribes in the process of choosing a successor to the late Oba Lamidi Adeyemo 111, should go and return the bribe or be ready to face prosecution.
Reacting to the threat, MURIC in a statement by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said: “The governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde, has threatened to take legal action against the five kingmakers of Oyo Town who rejected the appointment of Akeem Owoade as the Alaafin. The threat was issued yesterday, Monday, 13th, January 2025 during the presentation of staff of the office to Owoade.
According to Makinde, he was ready to drop the ‘charges’ if they asked Oba Akeem Owoade, the recently appointed Alaafin of Oyo, for forgiveness. In his own words, ‘The money they collected; they will still be prosecuted except they go to Kabiyesi. If he forgives them, I will also forgive them.
Having forced his preferred candidate on the good people of Oyo, the governor is now pushing the opposition to the palace. The carrot and stick method is being applied after committing monumental illegality. Makinde is bluffing. It is sheer hocus pocus.
“Seyi Makinde has also accused the Oyomesi of taking a bribe from one of the contestants. This is a grave allegation. MURIC is constrained to ask the governor to provide evidence to back this serious allegation.
“It remains mere conjecture until the governor shows his evidence. Until then, Makinde can say that to the Marines. It is arm twisting. We hope the Oyomesi will not succumb to this.
Oyo State governor has made a mincemeat of the theory of the separation of powers. He is both the executive and the judiciary. Sitting in an imaginary court of law, Makinde pronounces a crime, reads out the offence and pronounces the judgment.
“We can visualize the courtroom scenario as His Excellency The Lord Justice’s voice rings out, ‘I hereby sentence the offenders to a remorseful visit to the palace with hundreds of prostrations by the beaded chiefs of Oyomesi before the anointed king or jail terms yet to be determined for accepting bribe’. Courrrrrrt!
“Nigerians are not fools. Neither are the good Yoruba people. Makinde wants to legitimize the illegitimate. But try as he may, he cannot delay the Nigerian democratic calendar as scheduled for May 2027. We are enjoying the comedy”, the release read.
