Youths accuse candidate for the Olowu stool of inducement
By Kolawole Olayinka, Abeokuta
Allegation of inducement is now rocking the selection process for the vacant stool of Olowu of Owu kingdom in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
The selection which is being handled by the kingmakers in the ancient kingdom, including Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the Balogun of Owu, is presently enmeshed in squabbles and discontent as some youths said they have lost confidence in the process.
Accusing fingers are now being pointed at Prince Adediran, Secretary of the Otileta family, who is also a member of Otopo compound in Oke-Eguya, Own, Abeokuta.
Adediran is being accused of deliberately muddling up the selection process.
Westernpost correspondent gathered that Owu youths have been demanding that one Prince Adeyanju Kazeem Bakinson, a 40-year- old from Otopo Compound,
should be dropped from the selection process as they claimed that he was smuggled in extraneously by the secretary of the Otileta family.
Prince Bakinson had been scored 862 by the kingmakers to emerge 5th in the selection process.
The matter came to a head on Saturday when a group of young men were seen outside, raining curses on the said candidate, as they expressly registered their displeasure with him, claiming that he bought his way into Otopo Compound about four days to the selection process through the same secretary of Otileta ruling house.
They also accused the secretary of collecting substantial amounts from two candidates to smuggle them into the selection process as members of his own compound in Otopo, which the secretary’s father Alakoso Adediran is the current chairman.
The affidavit presented by Prince Bakinson, it was discovered, was sworn to at the High Court of Lagos State on 4th March, 2022 in preparation for the selection on 10th March.
Meanwhile, the compound’s name was not spelt correctly in the affidavit but corrected with pen in the copy which was presented to our correspondent.
The youths are now claiming that none of Prince Bakinson’s submitted dozier has any link with Otopo Compound and that he did not include his birth certificate, local government of origin certificate except the sworn affidavit which he did four days to the selection.
The youths also claimed that Prince Bakinson had spent so much for the purpose of the kingship, which included inducing an Owu Oba, who is said to be solidly behind his candidature.
They maintained that his inducement also included gathering Owu baales to a function he organized recently to mark his 40th birthday plus house warming ceremony in Lagos.
