A group, Ogun Integrity Vanguard, has lauded the statement by Akarigbo of Remo, Oba (Dr.) Adewale Babatunde Ajayi, that the trip he made to London with other traditional rulers to interface with billionaire lotto entrepreneur, Sir Kessington Adebutu, had nothing to do with the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun.
The group, which gave the commendation in a statement signed by its Secretary, Duro Thomas, and made available to newsmen in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Sunday, said that the foremost traditional ruler’s statement had put paid to the lie that the governor was seeking an out-of-court settlement with Adebutu’s son, Ladi, over the governorship election petition he (Ladi Adebutu) submitted challenging the governor’s victory in the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state.
It added that Abiodun remained fully focused on transforming the fortunes and enhancing the living standards of the Ogun populace and would not be drawn into the political game meant to distract him from his renewed mandate.
The group condemned the deliberate doctoring of the Akarigbo’s speech at the meeting with Sir Kessington to suit the intentions of mischief-makers and deceive unsuspecting members of the public.
It said: “Before Akarigbo’s clarification through Bamofin of Remoland, Adebayo Onafuwa, mischief makers on social media had claimed that Abiodun was begging Ladi Adebutu to withdraw his petition challenging his victory.
“However, as the Akarigbo said, ‘the insinuation that the trip was sponsored or at the instance of the governor was not only misleading, but also an insult to the Akarigbo in particular and the Remo Traditional Council in general.
“Indeed, we agree with the monarch’s submission. It is saddening that these individuals without conscience and lacking any shred of integrity sought to rubbish royalty, but the Akarigbo and other Remo traditional rulers have now shown those behind the fake news to be pure mischief-makers.”
“As the Akarigbo’s statement indicated, the Remo rulers as the custodians of the customs of the Remo people only felt concerned about the fall-outs of the recent elections in Ogun State in which two of their sons from the same town (Iperu) vied for the governorship position and sought to hold peace talks with them in the interest of Remo Kingdom and Ogun State in general.
“Therefore, it is uncharitable to insinuate that the trip was sponsored by Governor Abiodun to placate those he defeated in an open contest. How could they insult our revered traditional rulers in this manner?
“We condemn the misrepresentation of facts by these mischief-makers and warn them to cease and desist from dragging the exalted traditional rulers into their perverse politics.
“Seeking to draw Abiodun into their vile game is an exercise in futility,” the group added.
