The people of Erinmope-Ekiti in Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State have petitioned the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Olawale Fapohunda, rejecting Igogo-Ekiti as the headquarters of the newly created Ero local council development area in the state.
The state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, had two weeks ago signed into the law bill for the creation of 19 LCDAs in addition to the existing 16 council areas in Ekiti.
The community in a protest petition signed by its lawyer, Kayode Okimoba and made available to Tribune Online by the president of Erinmope-Ekiti Development Union, Navy Captain Dayo Olajide (retd) noted that it would amount to injustice for the community to be deprived of the headquarters of the new council area.
According to the lawyer, Fapohunda who is the chairman of the LCDA creation implementation committee should use his office and correct what they described as a clear injustice within the next seven days or, ” we will spontaneously proceed with our Client’s standing instructions to interpose, by legal and judicial means, to reverse and quench this perfidious injustice and arbitrariness.”
They argued that the community was recommended for the headquarters of Ero LCDA by the Akin Ajakaye-led committee set up by the government in 2014 during the first term of the governor, calling on the government to adhere to the earlier decision in the interest of peace in the area.
The community insisted that “one of the main considerations for the recommendation was on the need to ensure that the traditional seniority of Obas was not violated by locating headquarters in the domains of an obviously junior king which might not only become precarious for the senior king in future but a sure catalyst for discord and avoidable crisis between brothers.
“In this very instance, Erinmope-Ekiti was recommended because His Majesty, the Obaleo of Erinmope-Ekiti, was the most senior traditional ruler in the proposed LCDA.”
The petition reads, ” Erinmope-Ekiti wishes her neighbours well, but Erinmope will not accede to others maligning her heritage and rights in cloudy and unjust circumstances. Her status, her clout, her history, her pedigree, her potentials, her indigenes and human resources among the comity of towns and cities in both Ekiti State and Yoruba Land as a whole, both in ancient and modern times, make Erinmope-Ekiti a city of no mean consequence.
“In our highly revered history, in 1897, the last battle of the jihadist war was fought and won in Erinmope-Ekiti where the Adamu Ilorin campaigns were forever annihilated, and the whole of Yoruba race and her world-class heritage were saved.
“It should be noted that Erinmope-Ekiti has no personal problem, animosity or acrimony with Igogo-Ekiti or any surrounding communities whatsoever, and neither is she interested in opposing their progress, but Erinmope shall not allow a situation whereby her history and pride of place is disrespected willfully or negligently.”
The community disclosed that it would be made available all required resources towards hosting the council headquarters when approved by the government.
In the alternative, the community demanded its own Eku LCDA, “as previously presented to the aforementioned Ajakaye Committee. Most towns and cities of Erinmope-Ekiti’s status (and even lesser) are today headquarters of LGAs and LCDAs in Ekiti State.”
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