Chieftaincy: Crisis Looms as Oba Owoniyi is set to impose the wrong choice against the existing arrangement in Bolorunduro Otu Community
The peaceful community of Bolorunduro Otu in the Kabba district of the Kabba-Bunu local government area of Kogi State might be thrown into turmoil over a Chieftaincy issue that has lingered for almost a year now.
According to an impeccable source, the Obaro of Kabba and Chairman Okun Area Traditional Council, Oba Solomon Owoniyi might be the cause of the impending crisis as he is prepared to announce the wrong candidate to fill the vacant stool of Oba Bolorunduro Otu against the existing rotational arrangement in the community which has already settled for its candidate long before now, Chief Augustine Ojo Dada, Obayele of Oweland from Ijemu Royal family.

The source further revealed that according to the existing arrangement, the Ijemu Royal family is the next in line to produce the candidate that will fill the vacant stool by the 2001 Kabba-Bunu Chieftaincy Bylaw and Kogi State Chieftaincy law, 2006 which gives the community power to select the best candidate among the ruling family whose turn it is to produce the king for the community, stressing that information coming from the Obaro’s palace seems to contradict the enabling laws.
One of the Chiefs who doesn’t want his name in print for security reasons said Oba Owoniyi seems not ready to observe due process leading to the emergence of a new king in the community. He pointed out that the meeting he had with them a few days ago did not suggest that he was ready as he insulted all of them for not cooperating with him to impose his candidate which is against the enabling law and rotational arrangement.
The Chief further said the Obaro should listen to the voice of the people who made him the King rather than allow some persons who don’t want the good of the community to mislead him, as it is also evident that he is struggling to impose his candidate to be Obadofin of Oweland against the position of Ifa Oracle, Odolu ruling group and the wishes of the majority of the community.
It will be recalled that it is only three families were established to rotate the stool of the community, (the Irasi Royal family, the Ogbagi Royal Family, and the Ijemu Royal family) whereas the Ogbagi Royal family which the family Obaro wanted just left the stool after 27 yrs of their reign.
According to the information available, the Odogba Royal family had once been the king of the community but the majority of the family members have relocated from the community hence the three other families are now established to be the only families that have the right to the stool.
According to the head of the family in Bolorunduro Otu, Pa Jeremiah Ola Obafoke said the Ijemu Royal family has already submitted its petition to the Honorable Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Committee Transition Chairman, Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, State Security Service through their lawyer to call the Obaro to order not to cause unnecessary crisis in the community, that Oba Solomon Dele Owoniyi should be held responsible if there is any breakdown of law and order if he goes ahead to announce his unpopular choice for the community next Sunday.
All efforts to hear the side of Obaro Owoniyi prove abortive as all calls made to his phone did not go through before filing this report.