An ally of the Oluwo of Iwo, Sheikh Dawud Imran, has warned the Osun State Government against putting Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi under further pressure, saying that if another letter is written to the monarch, his supporters will make the state ungovernable until a state of emergency is declared.
Imran, who is the Grand Mufti of Yorubaland and leader of the Tawu’un Movement, an Islamic organisation headquartered in Iwo, Osun State, made this known in a video shared on a Facebook page named Grand Mufti Of Yorubaland.
The Public Relations Officer of the movement, Lookman Adeboje, when contacted on Sunday through WhatsApp, said the video contained a sermon delivered by Imran during the previous Friday’s Jumu’ah service.
Speaking in Yoruba, Imran, a close associate of the Oluwo, admitted that the government had the authority to remove any monarch but added that the people also had the power to remove any government they wished.
He said the state government could continue to monitor Oba Akanbi but declared that the monarch would not stop speaking against idolatry.
Imran said, “The person who wrote the (caution) letter said the government will be monitoring what Oluwo is saying going forward. The government can continue to monitor him, but Oluwo will not stop talking about idolatry.
“If you dare write another letter, we will come out in full and ensure that no vehicle moves in Osogbo. We will occupy Osogbo till a state of emergency is declared, even if it takes us a year.
“All the Muslims will be out. That is our own right, to say we are not going to be involved in idolatry and to talk against it. The Osun State Government, led by the governor, is not bigger than Osun indigenes. You are our slave and you are serving us.
“Both the federal and state governments are not bigger than their citizens. It is true that the governor has the power to remove Oluwo, the same way we also have the power to remove him. We can vote that we no longer want the governor to continue.
“The government can remove Oluwo since it appointed him. Oluwo did not deny that. But he claimed that he was appointed by God. Those serving in the present administration were not there when Oluwo was appointed. The government has the power to remove him if God wants it, but God will not allow that and we will also not allow that.”
He also said the monarch’s supporters would be ready to approach the court to stop his deposition, adding that the matter would drag on in court until the tenure of the current administration ended.
The religious leader said, “The least you can do is to remove him and we will go to court for a stay of execution, and the case will not be determined till you finish your tenure.
“After the High Court, we will go to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. After then, we will vote for a governor who will withdraw the matter.”
Recall that the rift between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, was a major factor in the Osun State Government’s decision to caution the latter over alleged inflammatory remarks.
The government feared that the Oluwo’s remarks against traditional worshippers, particularly the Ooni, could provoke attacks and reprisals between indigenes of Iwo and Ile-Ife.
In a letter with reference number CD.17/1/VOL.VIII/377, the government accused the Oluwo of engaging in activities capable of heightening communal tension.
It stated, “Your activities are raising communal tension, sowing seeds of communal and religious discord and increasingly discrediting the traditional values of your people and Yoruba society, of which your domain is a major part. These developments constitute serious threats to the peace, unity and stability of Osun State and your immediate domain.”
Consequently, the government directed the monarch to stop attacking adherents of other faiths, refrain from attacking fellow traditional rulers and work towards preserving the culture and traditions represented by his throne.
(Source: Punch with modified headline)
