THE Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru
Adetona, yesterday advised President Goodluck
Jonathan not to expect any Oba in Ijebuland
to campaign for his re-election in the
rescheduled March 28 presidential election.
Oba Adetona said any monarch seeking to
persuade the people to vote for any politician
in the general elections, which, he described, as
“full of tension”, would bring “trouble” upon
himself.
The monarch told the president, who arrived
at his palace in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State at
about 11:15am to sell his achievements and
programmes, that he had already told his
subjects – Christians and Moslems – to act
wisely and never to vote for corrupt politicians
(ojelus).
His words: “In Ijebu here, it is not possible for
any Oba – not even in Ijebu, in Yorubaland –
to go out and say vote for this, vote for that.
That person is looking for trouble. But they
should give them (politicians) the opportunity
to present their programmes, so that the
people can make up their minds on what to
do.
“I think this is a very sound democratic
principle and that is what I have decided to
do; to give you the opportunity of meeting the
people.
“One, they will see you as a person; how
beautiful you are, whether to engage with you
or not, to listen to you and see if there are
areas where we can meet. As a result,
everybody congregating here, they belong to
different groups.
“They are Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP)
members, All Progressives Congress’ (APC)
members and from All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA). They belong to various
interests, and when they come, they get to the
gate and shed their togas.
“PDP will remove their PDP, APC will
remove their own and APGA will remove
their own. They are coming to the palace to
meet their ruler and paramount ruler, to
receive that important august visitor, who is
coming to their lands and give him all honour
that is entitle to him.”
The monarch added: “In all our churches and
mosques, after prayer, they will pray for you,
the governor, for me and all their leaders as it
is so required both in the Bible and in the
Qur’an. Therefore, I thank you Your
Excellency for having this opportunity to
address our people, to listen to you and to
hear your programmes and what you have in
stock for them. And we shall all pray to God
for guidance. Because the Muslims would say
‘guide us to the right path’. God will show us
the way because He is the only one that can
show the way to people.
“Therefore, I thank you Your Excellency most
sincerely for making this trip. God knows the
best. He is the ruler of the Universe, He knows
everything and He can do everything.
Everything is possible in the presence of God –
that is why I occasionally go to the church to
put up a song.
“Each time I have course to talk to our people,
I have always told them in the churches and
mosques that when you are going to vote,
make sure you back your sons and daughter,
who will give something back to you, not the
ojelus (corrupt politicians). But those who will
be honest with you and who knows the way of
God – those are the people you should vote for.
Not those who will give you two, three spoons
and mortgage your future. It is not right.
“I am sure over the years, there has been
improvement. But this election is full of tension.
I don’t know how it is so. Since 55 years, I
have never seen any election that is full of
tension like the one we are having now. My
prayer is God should guide us and make sure
that there’s peace, harmony and tranquility in
the country.”
Also, the Dagburewe of Idowa-Ijebu, Oba
Yinusa Adekoya, who spoke on behalf of the
Ijebu Traditional Council (ITC), drew the
attention of Jonathan to the Mabolufon flyover
that runs across the Sagamu-Ore expressway
at the Ijebu-Ode stretch of it, which was
constructed by Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
Oba Adekoya said the Ijebus remained very
grateful to Amosun for the intervention and
urged the president to quickly “reimburse” the
governor for the cost of building the fly-over to
enable him use the money for other projects
being executed in parts of the state.
He also enlightened the president on the
history of the Ijebu people in Ogun State,
saying they have been around in their present
location for more than 1,000 years with the
Awujale as the supreme head.
According to him, Ijebu has always been the
land of peace and harmony, and made up of
people reputed for commerce and industry,
who have contributed immeasurably to the
nation’s development.
Oba Adekoya reminded Jonathan, among
others, of the moribund Iwopin Paper Mill, a
Federal Government project in Ogun
Waterside; the almost abandoned Olokola Free
Trade Zone(OKFTZ), Olokola Deep Sea Port,
and the people’s clamour for an Ijebu State.
But, Jonathan, who came to the palace with
PDP National Chairman Adamu Mu’azu,
Bayelsa Governor Seriake Dickson, Senator
Musiliu Obanikoro, Ondo State Governor
Segun Mimiko, Ogun State Deputy Governor
Prince Segun Adesegun, left around 12:53pm
disappointed.
Jonathan of the PDP is facing a stiff
opposition to his re-election from the APC
presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari.
The president, however, told his hosts that he
was in the palace to seek the monarch’s royal
blessing and support for the general elections.
He stressed that if elected, his administration
would be able to complete some of the projects
he started.
He promised Oba Adetona and other Ijebu
traditional rulers that the issues presented to
him by Oba Adekoya would be looked into, if
given the mandate..
Jonathan said: “Within the past four years,
we have tried as a government; you know
government cannot complete all projects within
four years period.
“The problem of Federal Government is that
Nigeria is a very vast country and you may
do much and some part of the country may
not even notice what you’re doing. But we
have done quite well.”