Owo youths demand tougher sanctions, declare him persona non grata
There is growing tension in Owo, Ondo State, following the circulation of a leaked audio allegedly featuring the suspended Chairman of Owo Local Government, Hon. Tope Omolayo, in which he reportedly made scathing remarks about the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye.
The embattled chairman, who was recently suspended by the Legislative Council partly over allegations of disrespect to traditional rulers, is said to have made the remarks during a private phone conversation with a female political office holder. In the audio, Omolayo allegedly launched into a verbal tirade against the monarch, threatening to use his position to shut down the Olowo’s palace if the monarch continued to intervene in political issues within the council area.
The audio has triggered widespread anger in the ancient town, with residents describing the alleged outburst as an affront to the throne. Sources revealed that it took the personal intervention of the monarch to dissuade some irate youths from attacking Omolayo before his suspension was announced.
The situation has since escalated, as youths under the umbrella of the Owo Youth General Assembly and other prominent groups have declared the suspended chairman persona non grata in the town. They are demanding stiffer sanctions against him for what they describe as “gross misconduct” and “insult to the revered stool of the Olowo.”
It was gathered that Omolayo has since left Owo to an undisclosed location, as some youths reportedly vowed to deal with him over the comments, despite his family ties with the monarch — the Olowo is said to be his brother-in-law.
A strongly worded statement issued by the Owo Youth General Assembly condemned Omolayo’s alleged remarks in clear terms.
> NO LICENCE TO INSULT OLOWO’S THRONE: WHY TOPE OMOLAYO MUST FACE THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS WORDS
“It is with an intensity of indignation bordering on consternation that I register this formal condemnation of the reported conduct of Honourable Tope Omolayo, Chairman of Owo Local Government.
Recent audio recordings circulating on various social media platforms allege that, in a series of intemperate and wholly unbecoming utterances, Mr. Omolayo addressed His Imperial Majesty, Kabiyesi the Olowo of Owo, in terms described as profane and unprintable.
In the said audio, the Chairman is alleged to have branded Kabiyesi an unprintable names deploying a catalogue of insulting epithets deliberately calculated to humiliate the revered custodial office and wound communal sensibilities.
Such language, whether uttered in the heat of political disagreement or as part of a sustained campaign of disparagement is an assault upon the inviolable dignity of an institution that embodies the history, culture and moral compass of the Owo people.
Levity of tone or licence of rhetoric does not furnish public officials with the liberty to vilify traditional authorities. The reported invective is an affront to public decency, a breach of the ethical standards attendant upon public office and a provocation that risks inflaming communal passions and undermining the delicate equilibrium of local governance.
Accordingly, in the spirit of constitutional order, civic harmony and the rule of law, we commend the prompt suspension of Hon. Tope Omolayo from the exercise of executive functions.
This decisive measure underscores a commitment to accountability and good governance. In furtherance of this process, we call for the immediate constitution of an independent panel, composed of individuals of unimpeachable integrity and vested with clear terms of reference, to investigate the allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office and public vilification of traditional institutions as raised by the councillors.
Where the inquiry establishes acts amounting to corruption, libel or other statutory breaches, appropriate criminal or disciplinary actions should be instituted without delay.
Let it be plainly stated: this is not a plea for impunity, nor for the suppression of legitimate criticism of traditional authorities where such criticism is warranted. It is, however, a categorical rejection of the reckless and debasing use of language that denigrates a revered monarch as “stupid” and employs a string of unprintable slurs as an instrument of public discourse.
The sons and daughters of Owo will not countenance the systematic diminution of their cultural patrimony. Any public servant who so conducts himself must answer to both the constituted authorities and the customary mores that have long safeguarded communal peace.
In conclusion, we urge the Ondo State Government, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Owo Local Government Legislative Council and all relevant oversight bodies to act with dispatch and with fidelity to due process. Let there be no ambiguity: the restoration of public confidence demands a process that is swift, lawful and seen to be just.”
— E-Signed, Com. Olaposi Oyegoke (aka Experience), President, Owo Youth General Assembly.
Meanwhile, the monarch has continued to appeal for calm and has played a central role in preventing the situation from degenerating into chaos.
Efforts to reach Omolayo for his reaction proved unsuccessful, as calls to his phone were not answered and a text message sent by our correspondent had not been responded to at the time of filing this report.
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