The Olukere of Ikere-Ekiti, Ganiyu Ayodele Obasoyin, has appeal to Ekiti State Government to grant him recognition as an Oba in the state, insisting that he is the owner of Ikere-Ekiti, describing Ogoga of Ikere as his errand boy.
He said: “I am the owner of Ikere-Ekiti, I used to send Ogoga some errands which he accepted to do until government gave him recognition.”
Ganiyu Obasoyin, made the request yesterday in his welcome address to Ekiti Council of Obas while on a fact finding mission to the palace of Olukere led by the chairman of the state council of Oba, Oba Samuel Oladapo Oyebade.
Obasoyin, who defended his Obaship with facts, historical pictures and traditional artifacts in and around the palace said his Obaship existed long before Ogoga came to Ikere-Ekiti .
Among the historical images presented to the Obas for their first hand information were the hunting bag given to Ogoga, Palace pictures, market place around the palace, the post office, and other official places of historical importance around the Oba’s Palace in the town.
When confronted with some questions on why some chiefs are with him and others with Ogoga, Obasoyin noted that some chiefs who were with him ran away to Ogoga because of what they would eat from him.
He pointed out that for a very long time, they have been running the palace with what they have without getting any financial assistance from government, adding that he still has majority of the people in Ikere-Ekiti with him.
According to him, “the mistakes of the past can still be corrected once and for all since the error was committed a long time ago.”
He stated: “If we go by some unique parameters by which we identify authentic traditional rulers in Yourbaland, the Olukere, fits into them all.”
He later debunked the smear campaign that the Olukere is a mere priest of Olosunta, saying every Oba has a priestly function aside political and administrative functions, saying that Olosunta annual festival is the chief unifying social event in Ikere land.
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