Ibadan – A group in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the Save Oyo Movement (SOM), has accused the state governor, Engr. ‘Seyi Makinde, of wasting billions of state funds on irrelevant ventures, “especially the recent failed coronation of high chiefs in Ibadan, on which over N1.5 billion was allegedly spent.”
Governor Makinde had coronated three high chiefs in Ibadanland to Obas in their absence. The three high chiefs, Ekeerin Balogun of Ibadanland, Akeem Adewoyin; Ekaarun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Kola Babalola; and Ekaarun Balogun of Ibadanland, Sharafadeen Ali, declined invitation for the coronation ceremony.
Rising from its meeting in Ibadan at the weekend, the SOM, in a release signed by its Coordinator, Comrade Akeem Oladiti, alleged that in the last few months, Governor Makinde had wasted over N10 billion belonging to Oyo State on his “political misadventures,” including the botched Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention “on which over N5 billion was spent.”
The group asked when in Yorubaland a governor started coronating Obas in absentia, “such that billions of state funds would be spent to coronate empty chairs as Obas as done by Governor Makinde in Ibadan on Friday.”
It accused Governor Makinde of using the coronation to target Senator Alli, who was being touted as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State.
SOM, however, clarified that being a traditional ruler did not prevent anyone from aspiring into any public office.
The group, which said there were many examples of traditional rulers who were working as civil servants, added that it was either Governor Makinde was misled or he misled himself into believing that by coronating Senator Sharafadeen Alli, he would not be qualified to contest for governorship position.
It disclosed that one of the three high chiefs that the governor coronated in absentia had been due for coronation since 2024.
“The said high chief had written to the governor many times and even raised it when he met the governor. Yet, the governor refused to crown him; but when he (Makinde) saw that Senator Sharafadeen Alli was going to emerge as APC governorship candidate, he suddenly developed interest in the coronation, simply because he opined that it will stop his (Sharafadeen Alli) governorship aspiration,” it alleged.
“But on this one, whether or not Senator Sharafadeen Alli is crowned as a king or not, it will not change the fact that being a traditional is not one of the grounds for disqualifying anyone from contesting for public office,” it concluded.
