There is palpable fear and unease in Akure, the Ondo State capital over a power tussle between two monarchs, the Deji of Akure, Oba Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo, and the Iralepo of Isinkan, Oba Oluwagbemiga Ajimokunola.
The bone of contention is an order and counter order on the closure of markets within the metropolis.
It was gathered that the traditional Aheregbe festival kicks off on Monday, and it’s expected that markets and shops would be shut down on the orders of the Deji of Akure.
But his Isinkan counterpart warned that the order is not binding on his community which has a blurred boundary with Akure.
The Network gathered that the Deji of Akure had over the weekend ordered that all marketplaces and shops in Akure and its neighboring settlements be closed on Monday, August 22.
The reason was in observance of the town’s yearly ancient traditional celebration, known as “Aheregbe”.
However, a few hours after Deji’s statement, Oba Ajimokunola
countered the order and instead ordered that all the markets and shops should remain open in Isinkan and urged those willing to trade to come to Isinkan for their transactions.
Irked by the orders of the Isinkan monarch, Oba Aladetoyinbo in another statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Michael Adeyeye, insisted that the order would be extended to Isinkan as he claimed that the community is under his domain.
“The attention of the Palace of the Deji and Paramount Ruler of Akure Kingdom has been drawn to a press statement and rumor flying around that shops, stalls, and markets within the Isinkan area are exempted from the closure in observance of Aheregbe festival.
“Without mincing words, the closure became necessary as part of the age-long tradition in observance of the annual Aheregbe Festival and this will be observed in Isinkan and all parts of Akure,” he said in a statement.
Our correspondent reports that the development had led to apprehension among residents of Akure and Isinkan as they called on the State government to urgently wade into the matter.
The residents appealed to the state government to quick steps to avert the danger before it snowballed into physical attacks between youths of the two communities who would be out to enforce the monarchs’ orders.
It was learned that for some time now, the Deji of Akure and the Aralepo of Isinkan, alongside some traditional heads in Akure South and Akure North Local Governments, have been having skirmishes with the Akure monarch over his purported interference in domains outside his purview.
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