Crisis is brewing among traditional rulers in Ondo State as non-Grade A traditional rulers on thursday faulted the composition of the State Council of Obas and the law setting up the council.
The aggrieved monarchs under the umbrella of DE 130 Krowns Club also protested the alleged marginalisation by the first class monarchs in their domains, stating that the marginalisation was being aided by the actions of the Ondo State Government.
The grievances of the concerned traditional rulers were expressed yesterday at a news conference held at the Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alagbaka, Akure.
The conference was attended by not less than 50 of aggrieved monarchs, who were not in Grade A Obaship cadre.
Speaking on behalf of other traditional rulers, the Chairman of the group, the Aladeokun of Idanre, Oba Olusegun Akinbola, the Owa-Ale of Ikare-Akoko, Oba Samuel Adegbite-Adedoyin and the Olupe of Ipe-Akoko, Oba Francis Apata, said they resulted to addressing a press conference when all attempts to meet with Governor Olusegun Mimiko to address their plight were frustrated in the last one year.
Adegbite-Adedoyin said their grievances including lack of official vehicles and the official quarters should have been channelled through the state Council of Chiefs but for the composition of the body which, he alleged is lopsided and the irrelevance of the council to address the plight of members.
Owa-Ale said while there are 150 recognised monarchs in the state, only 23 are permanent members of the council, saying that the council cannot adequately represent majority of the monarchs in the state.
“The legal name is Ondo State Council of Chiefs, but when our brothers go out, you see them calling themselves Council of Obas, they are not Council of Obas, they are Council of Chiefs. If they have been up to their task, why didn’t they address the issue?
“The composition of that council is lopsided. It is not representative enough and something that is not representative enough cannot address the problems of the generality of the people. If you look at Section 34 of the Chiefs Law, it spells out the membership. It is rather unfortunate that the section gives the permanent members 23 and there are only 23 of them in the state whereas it gives the rotational members 17 members. Is that democratic?
“There are some local governments that are not represented by the virtue that there are not Grade ‘A’ members. For example in Akoko Northwest where I come from, there are four members and all of them are members of the council. We have 30 Obas in the local government. Subtract 4 from 30, the 26 are disenfranchised. They are not represented in the council. Ese-Odo Local Government is not represented in the council.
The monarch said the government should not hearken to the demand of the first class monarchs demanding for paramount status in their domains as that would lead to crisis among various communities in the state.
The monarch said instead of paramount status, there should be consenting authority as history and law do not support for paramount status for any monarch in the state.