Youths demand removal of Owo LG boss after leaked audio

By Boye Oyeyemi –

Tension has enveloped Owo town following the circulation of a leaked audio recording allegedly featuring the suspended Chairman of Owo Local Government, Hon. Tope Omolayo, in which he was heard making derogatory remarks about the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III.

In the audio, Omolayo, during a phone conversation with a female political office holder, allegedly launched a verbal attack on the monarch and threatened to use his position to “lock up” the Olowo’s Palace if the royal father continued to interfere in political matters.

The recording sparked outrage across the ancient town, prompting the monarch to personally appeal for calm after youths reportedly mobilised to attack the embattled chairman before his suspension by the Legislative Council. One of the earlier allegations against Omolayo was also his alleged disrespect for traditional rulers.

Sources said the suspended chairman has gone into hiding as some residents declared him persona non grata in Owo. The intervention of the Olowo was said to have prevented the situation from escalating into a full-blown crisis.

The Owo Youth General Assembly (OYGA), in a statement signed by its president, Comrade Olaposi Oyegoke, condemned Omolayo’s alleged comments, describing them as “a reckless assault on the dignity of the Olowo’s throne.” The group insisted that no public officer has the right to insult a revered traditional institution.

The youth body urged the state government and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to set up an independent panel to probe the chairman for gross misconduct, abuse of office and incitement capable of disrupting communal peace.

Efforts to reach Hon. Omolayo for comments were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages to his phone were not responded to at press time.