…..Owo Youths demand his removal, declare him personal nongranta.
Report says there is a palpable tension in Owo town over a leaked audio call allegedly made by the suspended Chairman of Owo local government, Hon. Tope Omolayo which launched scattering attacks on the person of the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye.
It would be recalled that one of the allegations levelled against the embattled Council Chairman by the Legislative Council included disrespect to the traditional rulers.
The latest trouble started when the LG Chairman was on a telephone call with a female political office holder, and allegedly attacked the foremost monarch verbally, infact threatening to use his power as the Council’s boss to lockdown the Olowo’s Palace if the monarch continues to meddle in some political matters in the area.
The leaked audio was reported to have been generating tension in the ancient town as it took the intervention of the monarch to prevent some youths from attacking the embattled Chairman before his recent suspension.
It was further gathered that Omolayo had left Owo for a cover as some angry youths are said to be looking for him for punishment as a result of his alleged outburst against their foremost monarch who is also a brother in-law to the suspended Chairman.
It was also gathered that pleas from the Olowo had been calming the situation from degenerating into a crisis in the area.
The situation is now generating more reactions even as it was learnt that some people have declared the Chairman a personal nongranta in the town, while prominent Owo groups such as Owo Youth General Assembly, called for a greater sanction against the suspended Chairman over his alleged attack against the Olowo.
NO LICENCE TO INSULT OLOWO’S THRONE: WHY TOPE OMOLAYO MUST FACE THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS WORDS
It is with an intensity of indignation bordering on consternation that I register this formal condemnation of the reported conduct of Honourable Tope Omolayo, Chairman of Owo Local Government. Recent audio recordings circulating on various social media platforms allege that, in a series of intemperate and wholly unbecoming utterances, Mr. Omolayo addressed His Imperial Majesty, Kabiyesi the Olowo of Owo, in terms described as profane and unprintable.
In the said audio, the Chairman is alleged to have branded Kabiyesi an unprintable names deploying a catalogue of insulting epithets deliberately calculated to humiliate the revered custodial office and wound communal sensibilities.
Such language, whether uttered in the heat of political disagreement or as part of a sustained campaign of disparagement is an assault upon the inviolable dignity of an institution that embodies the history, culture and moral compass of the Owo people.
Levity of tone or licence of rhetoric does not furnish public officials with the liberty to vilify traditional authorities. The reported invective is an affront to public decency, a breach of the ethical standards attendant upon public office and a provocation that risks inflaming communal passions and undermining the delicate equilibrium of local governance.
Accordingly, in the spirit of constitutional order, civic harmony and the rule of law, we commend the prompt suspension of Hon. Tope Omolayo from the exercise of executive functions.
This decisive measure underscores a commitment to accountability and good governance. In furtherance of this process, we call for the immediate constitution of an independent panel, composed of individuals of unimpeachable integrity and vested with clear terms of reference, to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office and public vilification of traditional institutions as raised by the councillors.
Where the inquiry establishes acts amounting to corruption, libel or other statutory breaches, appropriate criminal or disciplinary actions should be instituted without delay.
Let it be plainly stated: this is not a plea for impunity, nor for the suppression of legitimate criticism of traditional authorities where such criticism is warranted. It is, however, a categorical rejection of the reckless and debasing use of language that denigrates a revered monarch as “stupid” and employs a string of unprintable slurs as an instrument of public discourse.
The sons and daughters of Owo will not countenance the systematic diminution of their cultural patrimony. Any public servant who so conducts himself must answer to both the constituted authorities and the customary mores that have long safeguarded communal peace.
In conclusion, we urge the Ondo State Government, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Owo Local Government Legislative Council and all relevant oversight bodies to act with dispatch and with fidelity to due process. Let there be no ambiguity: the restoration of public confidence demands a process that is swift, lawful and seen to be just.
It should also be noted that the embattled Chairman has fled the town to evade the wrath of the people. Thanks to the restraint and fatherly wisdom of His Imperial Majesty, who has continued to pacify the populace and ensure that the matter does not degenerate into a breakdown of law and order.
E-Signed
Com. Olaposi Oyegoke (aka Experience),
President,
Owo Youth General Assembly.
REACTION
All efforts to get the reaction of the Chairman, Tope Omolayo proved abortive as calls to his phone line was not responded to, while text message by our reporter was ignored as at the time of filing this report.
