Moshood Adebayo
A crisis of confidence is brewing among members of the Egiri Ruling House whose turn it is to produce the new Agura of Gbagura, Abeokuta, the home stead of the late winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
The Egiri House comprises Jamolu, Ijaade, Adeosun and Abolade.
The last Agura, who was the eighth, Oba Halidu Laloko Sobeku II, joined his ancestors on July 12, 2018 after a 38-year reign at age 78
The Agura Chieftaincy Declaration of November 12, 1958, recognises two ruling house-Ajiboso and Egiri.
The first Agura, Oba Jamolu, who hailed from the Egiri Ruling House was said to have been crowned in 1870.
In a communiqué after its emergency meeting last Friday at the Oke Iddo, Gbagura Princes condemned what they described as clandestine ongoing process of selecting a new Agura.
The communiqué was signed by representatives of the royal families including Princes Adeyemi, Waheed Adeosun (secretary of the ruling house), Sufian Soetan, Adam Opeloyeru and Prince Jamiu Ogunwolu for Ijaade, Jamolu, Abolade and Ijaade families respectively.
“We regret to announce that so far, the selection process has been unduly subjected to procedural irregularities in the hand of an influential member of the royal house, the self-acclaimed head of the house.”
The princes accused a retired justice of stage-managing the selecting process in manners contrary to laid down procedure.
They said they were not against selection of a new Agura, but “proper process involving other eligible members (princes) of the Egiri Ruling House must be followed.”