An human rights activist, Barr. Morakinyo Ogele has taken a swipe st the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose over the arrest and prosecution of the Olukare of Ikare, Oba Ganiyu Obasanya at Magistrate Court headed by Magistrate Adegboye.
Ogele, at a press conference which he addressed in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Friday, said that the action taking on the monarch was very inhuman and also ridiculed the position of traditional rulers.
He explained that the arrest which was really motivated and sponsored by the Ekiti State Governor, Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose, over the monarch’s failure to succumb to unpopular action which runs ultra vires against the development of the state.
According to him, “The monarch has not done anything wrong in not supporting the candidate of the governor, who also happens to be the son of Ikere, the monarch only said that, time has not come for him to support Eleka, the governor’s candidate”
Ogele said the matter is a political case and never a murder case “wrongly laid on a criminal matter” adding that, it is therefore a bailable offence
“It was in the speech delivered by the monarch during the opening of his multi million naira hotel complex in ikere Ekiti, on 22 December, 2017, that Eleka,is not our candidate yet, that provoked the governor, which after three days of the opening, that made thugs invaded the hotel and destroyed the property”.
The human rights activist noted that the monarch was framed up in the case, “as we all know that and again, holding charge on the matter is also wrong as at when he was arraigned”.
He said further that the police chased the hoodlums and killed one of them but to our dismay, the story was upturned on the monarch and charged to court on suspicion that he was involved in the killing. Which police affirmed that the killing was done by them.
He however called on other traditional rulers and well meaning Nigerians to intervene in the matter before it degenerates to something else, saying the throne is becoming bastardise by power drunkers.
He further challenged the Ekiti state Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, to have a rethink over his attitude of embarrassing a crown king and to respect tradition.
“Fayose has turned himself to a street fighter that whosoever refuses his offer or directive must suffer for it in the hard way” Imagine a governor acting this manner to a well known traditional ruler of a town in your state”.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Adegboye, had remanded the monarch over the alleged killing of one of the governor’s boys last week that took place within Ikere town after the commissioning of a hotel that belongs to the monarch.