The Onikoyi Descendants Association of Lagos State has called on President Bola Tinubu and the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene in the crisis rocking the vacant stool of Onikoyi of Ikoyi and Imoba lands.
The association also called for the enforcement of the existing rotational kingship plan.
The Public Relations Officer of the group, Prince Tunde Onikoyi, in a statement yesterday said: “The traditional stool was occupied by the late Patrick Ibikunle Fafunwa-Onikoyi, who passed away at the age of 92. Before his demise, his health condition was kept away from the public. So we didn’t know the exact day he died. His family only announced it to us. And since then his son has been the one operating the family’s account. And this is because they bear the same name.
“Also before the king died, the eldest of the royal family which is the Olori Ebi died two years earlier. After his demise, we have not had any meeting to elect another head. Now kabiyesi has died and the most elderly one among the ruling family is 93 years. His name is Kehinde Hassan Elegushi of Kubaije branch. But another elderly man who claimed to be the Olori ebi went ahead to pick a successor from another branch.
“We are appealing to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the council of Chiefs and other Lagos leaders to save Ikoyi land by insisting on rotational kingship as agreed with and signed by President Tinubu and other stakeholders as agreed in 2006.
“The rotational agreement was reached and assented to by all stakeholders of the town under the leadership of President Tinubu while he was the governor of Lagos State in 2006.
“There were various disagreements and conflicts over the rulership of the area. This made President Tinubu while he was governor of the state in 2006 restore peace by institutionalised rotational chieftaincy agreement which clearly lists ten royal family of the town to produce monarchs in orderly succession.
“The 10 branches of the royal family are Fafunwa, Ojubira, Kubayije, Ilumo, Idewu, Kugbamola, Aluko Ajos, Dosunmu Ajiwe, Adelo and Dosunmu Iddo.
“Since the late monarch was from the Fafunwa Royal House, the lawful step to take is to allow the Ojubiari family to produce the next king, and then the Kubayije family in that same order.
“The order of succession was captured by the resolution instituted by the ten royal family in 2006 which placed Prince Wasiu Akanni Sulaiman of the Ojubiari as the next Oba in succession of the Onikoyi of Ikoyi and Imoba land.”
