Ikere Community: Waiting for the Pelúpelú Committee report

The Olukere of Ikere, Oba Ganiyu Obasoyin and his people have been fighting to change the status and stop the perceived denigration of the Olukere stool by relevant authorities SAM NWAOKO reports that their hope of success lie in what is called the
‘pelupelu’ report; the decision of all first – class traditonal rulers in the state.

The people of Ikere community in Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State are waiting with bated breath for a report of the standing committee of the state’s Council of Obas, which visited the community last year. The committee, peopled by high-ranking, first class monarchs in the state, known as The Pelúpelú, had been in Ikere on a fact-finding mission on a memo written to them by the Olukere of Ikere, demanding that the stool be formally recognised as an Oba in the town.

When the current Olukere, Oba Ganiyu Ayodele Obasoyin, assumed the throne in July 2014, he did not hide his desire to fight for the recognition of the Olukere stool by the relevant authorities in the state. From the time he became the Olukere, he has made efforts at bringing the attention of the world to what he sees as the wrongful denigration of the Olukere stool, a traditional institution he said was actually the true traditional throne of the Ikere people. He has also taken bold steps to reverse the development he sees as an aberration in the traditional hierarchy in Ikereland.

Part of Obasoyin’s efforts at achieving his goal was his visit to the Council of Obas on July 12, 2016. During the visit, he presented documents and sundry evidences to the council to support his claim that the Olukere was not just a monarch, but a foremost one at that because, according to him, “Olukere is the founder and original traditional ruler of the town.”

The Olukere matter wouldn’t have created the tension it did in the state, nor would it have become one for a heated public debate if not for the dominance of the Ogoga, the traditional institution the state government recognises in Ikere-Ekiti. The Ogoga/Olukere dichotomy rose to a dangerous crescendo after the current Ogoga, Oba Adejimi Adu Alagbado, was formally enthroned in July, 2015.

Since the emergence of Obasonyin and Adu, there has been one form of tension or the other in the town. And everything revolves around the fact that the Olukere has made undeterred and unrelenting moves to achieve the recognition of his stool by the government, a move the Ogoga is not comfortable with.

The Ogoga and the state government are actually on the same page on the matter so far. The Ogoga has been insisting that the Olukere is just a chief priest of the Olosunta. The Ogoga said that the Olukere he had met when he arrived in the town was not a king. He admits that the Ogoga came into the town and had met the Olukere on ground, but he insists that as a prince from Benin, he was the one that established the monarchy.

But the Olukere has consistently argued that as a traditional ruler, part of his duties was leading his people in the worship of the Olosunta. Olosunta is the only religious festival of the people of Ikere before the advent of Christianity and Islam. “As their traditional and religious leader, and their chief priest, I lead them in the worship of the Olosunta. The Ogoga has no role to play traditionally in Ikere up till today.”

The Olukere has consistently asked the Ogoga to tell who his father was and give his genealogy for easy reference to his claim to kingship, as a prince from Benin. He also wondered if the cognomen of the Ogoga, which includes “Odeleonile pò ju Onile lo, Atabatubu Àlejò tii d’eru bá Onile” (He who arrives at a home and dominates; a huge visitor that instils fear in his hosts) had no significance?

These and other deep-seated causes of division had led to the needed intervention of the Council of Obas. After the Council had received both the Ogoga and the Olukere in their chambers at the Old Governor’s Office in Ado Ekiti, at different times, the senior traditional rulers, also known as the Pelúpelú, also visited Ikere Local Government Council, where the Ogoga and the Olukere are domiciled; the palace of the Olukere and that of the Ogoga.

While at the Olukere’s palace, the visiting monarchs had been shown important relics of hunting instruments that the Ogoga had allegedly arrived in Ikere with. The Olukere was also said to have shown the Council members the hunting bag Ogoga arrived in Ikere with; his sword, his Dane gun and the tusk of the elephant that he had shot and had allegedly traced to Ikere.

In addition, he was also said to have shown the visiting monarchs some photographs of earlier visits to the Olukere by previous Ogogas, who, they claimed, would always visit in singlet while the crowned Olukere would receive him in his regalia.

These had followed the questions the Olukere was said to have earlier raised while at the Traditional Council Chamber in Ado. Sources claimed that Obasoyin had asked if the Ogoga had ever been a king that wore a crown?; that if it was true that the first crown the Ogoga wore to his first Pelúpelú meeting was borrowed from the Ologotun of Ogotun and that if it was true that at that meeting, the Oloye of that time had challenged the Ogoga on how and where he got the crown he was wearing?

Also, the sources at the meeting had also claimed that the Olukere had asked if that the children of the Olukere were holding forte as chiefs at the various quarters of Ikere Ekiti. He was also said to have also asked if six Olukeres had reigned before the Ogoga arrived in the town as a hunter; and that the Ogoga should tell the whole world, the name of his father who had ever been a king anywhere in Nigeria.

It was also claimed that the Olukere had stated that his forbear is the Obaloro of Ile-Ife and that his mother was the Ooni Luwo Gbagida, said to have been the only female Ooni known in history. They claimed that Olukere also said that the same Ooni Luwo Gbagida gave birth to the Oluwo of Iwo, also Oluwo of Iwo Oke and the Oluwo Ate. He was also said to have highlighted that every Olu is known to be the traditional ruler of the community.

However, in countering the arguments of the Olukere, the Ogoga insisted that the Olukere was “a mere Chief Priest of the Ikere people.” He admits that the Ogoga came into the town and had met the Olukere on ground, but he insists that he was only a religious leader of the people and the he was the one that established a royalty in Ikere-Ekiti.

The Ogoga has asked at what point did Olukere, whom he referred to as the Oloje, have his crown and by whom? Who are the Olukere Kingmakers? They also asked how is an Olukere elected or selected and by who?

The Ogoga also wondered how come that at the installation of any Ogoga, the first point of call is the home of Ikere first settler at Erepupu, not at the Olukere’s home at Odo Ule, and no reference is made to Olukere during the rites?

The question, how come at the death and installation of any Olukere, notification is sent to Ogoga? They also asked why there is no single Chief of Ikere that derived his authority from the Olukere. The question was extended to the contention that even among ths Odo Oja quarter chiefs, none is Olukere chief?

On the annual Olosunta when the two meet, the contention is even that the Olukere is the one that must pay homage to an Ogoga in Ogoga’s palace, and not the reverse?

There were also claims that there are other Ikere priests who are claimed to be playing similar roles in Ikere spiritual activities like the Olukere. They cited examples of the Eselemo of Odo Oja of the Ogunoye festival fame; the Akamuja of Uro, who takes charge during Obalufon festival. “In fact the Akamuja has his own massive traditional drum, known as Agba, like Olukere Agba.”

The Ogoga admitted that the Olukere plays a major role in the spiritual aspect of Ikere activities, especially during the Olosunta Festival, but the monarch maintained that the Ogoga-in-council is the recognised, established traditional constituted authority in Ikere, noting that all Ikere chiefs pay homage to only the Ogoga, who, it is claimed, “doesn’t pay homage to anyone.”

The arguments and counter-arguments have been reigning, but people of the community appear to be growing weary with the seeming long wait for the Pelúpelú Committee’s report. They’ve taken their evidences and the people are still waiting.

The fact that the monarch have a lot of work doesn’t seem to help speed in this regard. For instance, both the Ogoga of Ikere, Oba Adejimi Adu Alagbado, and Oba Joseph Adewole, the Owa Ajero, who is a prominent member if the Pelúpelú Committee, were in the entourage of the Ooni to his recent trip to London, England. Such duties also eat into the time of the monarchs.

However, the seeming delay in the release of the report has caused tongues to be wagging in the community and in the state. However, the people are waiting and they are hopeful that by the time the report is made public, Ikere-Ekiti, reputed to be the second largest community in Ekiti State, would be the better for it.