Following the seven hours marathon interviews held during the week by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the Balogun of Owu and other kingmakers to the ancient stool of Olowu of Owu, the selection process for the vacant stool may have now been concluded, awaiting now only the approval and announcement of the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun.
The 7-hour long interview is now considered by many watchers of the selection process as the culmination of the screening for a prospective candidate for the next Olowu of Owu, one of the five prominent Obas that constituted Egbaland, Abeokuta.
The Balogun of Owu Chief Olusegun Obasanjo lead the other Kingmakers of Owu Kingdom in the 7-hours (12noon-7:00pm) interviews which was part of the statutory selection process for the next Olowu of Owu Kingdom.
Out of 12 prince’s presented by the Otileta Ruling House, the next ruling house in line to produce a candidate for the vacant stool, seven were finally shortlisted by the kingmakers for further screening and interview and they were scored thus:
The seven princes screened by the k ingmakers for the vacant stool of Owu Kingdom
1. Prince Adegbemi A. Adewale Esq. PhD, (56), a Lawyer and a PhD (African Law) holder of the University of Ibadan with Supreme Court Reg. No. 052019 from Aderinoye’s Compound was scored 1027 points
2. Prince Semiu Adeyemi Adelani (59) of Omoleefon Compound a Master of Urban & Regional Planning Degree holder of the University of Ibadan and a Registered Town Planner (with RTP no 2050) scored 909 to take the 2nd position.
3. Prince Saka Adeola Matemilola (57) of Soke Compound, a PhD holder of the University of Cambridge and a COREN registered Mechanical Engineer (with Registration no R. 13,609) scored 886 to take the 3rd position.
4. Prince Olaniyi Adejumo Olatidoye (72) of Soke Compound, a Retired Perm Sec in the Ogun State Civil Service, an MBA degree holder of the University of Ado-Ekiti scored 863 to make the 4th position among the 7
5. Prince Adeyanju Kazeem Bakinson (40), from Otopo Compound, a 2021 Doctor of Science Degree Holder from Atlantic International University, USA, a Registered Town Planner with no RTP/2130 scored 862 to emerge 5th position.
6. Prince Simeon Abiodun Soyele, (63) from Lumosa Compound a Retired Director in Ogun State Civil Service, a Graduate of Sociology of the University of Ibadan and Post Graduate Diploma of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism scored 827 to make the 6th on the list and
7. Prince Adelani Olukayode Adesina (48), of Soke Compound, a 2020 Master of Science Degree holder of Bells University of Technology, Ota scored 801 to emerge 7th.
The 2nd round of interviews for these seven princes by the Kingmakers was more thorough as the Balogun of Owu, Chief Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo GCFR, PhD who was himself on seat for the 7-hours it lasted addressed the shortlisted candidates before and after the interviews which was also witnessed by the Abeokuta North Local Government Secretary, the HOGAS, and other Local Government Officials who came with the Local Government Information Unit to record the process.
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo assured the candidates after the interviews that the responsibility of announcing the final choice rests on the Executive Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun whose statutory duty it is to announce the new Oba.
Meanwhile, a mild drama occurred while the 2nd round of selection was ongoing at the Oke Ago-Owu, Palace of the Olowu where the Kingmakers were interviewing the candidates as a throng of Owu sons and daughters besieged the palace to hear first hand the announcement of their new king but they were all disappointed as the result of the selection process process by the kingmakers was not made public.
Another group of young men came in a Sienna Van demanding to see the Secretary of the Ruling House, Prince Tunde Adediran who was alleged to have enriched himself during the selection process.
He was alleged to have collected a Camry car popularly known as “Big Daddy” from one of the 12 initial candidates who could not make the final list of seven shortlisted princes interviewed in the second round of the selection process.
The young men said they have reclaimed 3 of the 4 vehicles collected from their candidate and they will make sure the last Car with the Secretary of Otileta is collected from him, even if they cannot collect the over N40m their candidate was made to waste by the Secretary.
However, another group of young men were outside raining curses on one of the candidates, Prince Olanrewaju Bakinson who was said to have surreptitiously bought his way into Otopo Compound about 4 days to the selection process through the same Secretary of Otileta Ruling House.
The accused secretary was said to have collected huge sums of money from two candidates to clandestinely make them members of his own Otopo compound, where the Secretary’s father, Alakoso Adediran is the current Chairman.
Our reporter saw the affidavit sworn to by Prince Bakinson and discovered it was sworn to at the High Court of Lagos State on 4th March, 2022 in preparation for the selection on 10th March of the same month.
In the copy cited by our correspondent, the compound’s name was not even spelt correctly on the affidavit as it was altered with pen.
The protesting youth alleged that none of Prince Bakinson’s submitted dozier has any link with Otopo Compound adding that he did not include his birth certificate and the local government of origin
Prince Bakinson was also alleged to have spent so much money for the purpose of “buying” the Kingship which included spending so much for an Owu Oba, who is said to be solidly behind his candidature.
The angry youth also accused Bakinson of gathering Owu Baales together at a function he organized to mark his 40th birthday and house warming ceremony recently in Lagos where he lavishly spent so much on the Baales under the influence of the conniving Owu Oba.
The young men protesting in the precinct of the Palace also raised not a little dust on why Prince Saka Matemilola, another candidate Prince contesting for the stool should be allowed to continue in the race as his submitted documents were all inconsistent with the facts he is claiming.
Apart from his Sworn Affidavit of 15th May, 2000 which says he is a native of Ibadan in Ibadan-North East Local Government Area of Oyo State of Nigeria, his submitted birth certificate issued by Ibadan City Council on 24th February, 1965 gave his parent’s name as Sule and Aliratu Motemilola and not Matemilola.
