The Secretary-General of the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Dr. Kunle Olajide, has described his purported suspension from the council as “a joke taken too far”.
Olajide said the action taken by a group within the YCE called senior elders’ committee, suspending him over what he described as ‘phantom accusations’, was nothing but a flagrant disregard to the constitution of the socio-cultural body.
The medical doctor insisted that those who carried out the ‘illegal’ suspension were allegedly railroaded into such action by the Acting National President of the YCE, Col. San Ade Agbede.
The YCE through the Senior elders’ committee had on Thursday after its meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, suspended Olajide from the body for alleged “gross misconduct”.
The body also mandated the Assistant General Secretary 1, Sam Agbetuyi, to act as the General Secretary.
Reacting to the action in Ado Ekiti on Friday, Olajide, in a statement, said: “My purported suspension by a handpicked senior comedians in YCE was a huge joke taken too far.
” I have not received any letter from this innocuous body unknown to YCE. This reaction is to assure Yoruba race that this action was nothing but a joke and a nullity coming from these elderly comedians.”
Olajide said the apex body in YCE, the National Executive Committee (NEC) will meet on the matter and brief the public over the “illegal action”.
He added: “We won’t allow people seeking relevance to distract us, because the YCE is an honourable body.”
Shedding light on the leadership problem in YCE, Olajide clarified that “Our national President, Chief Idowu Sofola (SAN) died in February and the body decided to honour him by not electing another person and Col. Agbede was mandated to act pending the election of the President of NEC, who has powers to suspend me and anybody in this noble organization.
“Using his powers, Col. Agbede has made it impossible for NEC to meet and elect a new leader. He selected a few elders called Senior Elders Committee unknown to YCE constitution to take actions.
“I will remain resolute and I will stand on that pedestal that due process must be followed in electing or appointing new officers in YCE.
” This body will not resort to unorthodox means to elect or appoint its council members or suspend anybody in a brazen manner without recourse to the constitution.”
The YCE scribe stated that the State chapters of the body will soon take a decision on whether to either confirm Agbede as a substantive leader or elect another president.
He called on Agbede and his ilk to embrace democratic culture and restrain from taking actions that could drag the body into the mud.
Olajide urged the Yoruba nation to “please ignore the so called suspension by these jesters”.
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