Stop fanning embers of discord, Ogun Monarch, Oba MacGregor warns detractors
Barely three months after the Olu of Orile Ilawo, His Royal Highness, Oba Alexander Olusegun MacGregor was formally installed by the Ogun State Government as the monarch of the agrarian community of Odeda Local Government, an aggrieved indigene, Lawrence Ogunsanya, has mobilised his people against the monarch.
Ogunsanya, who was one of the contestants to the Orile Ilawo stool but lost out in the race, directed some members of the community, particularly those loyal to him, neither to accept, nor recognise Oba MacGregor as their traditional ruler.
Describing himself as a true born of Orile Ilawo, Ogunsanya blamed his ancestors for the grave mistake they made with honouring the forefathers of Oba MacGregor with a chieftaincy, lamenting that, that singular error is today haunting the community.
Ogunsanya said it was that chieftaincy bestowed in error that the MacGregor family is standing on to lay claim to having legitimacy to the stool of Olu of Orile Ilawo.
In a viral video obtained in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Ogunsanya allegedly disparaged Oba MacGregor, who was dully coronated last April 26, 2023, at the Elegunmefa Village, the headquarters of Orile Ilawo at a ceremony which saw the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun presenting the staff of office and other instruments of office to him, thereby confirming him as the authentic traditional ruler of the community.
“What I am saying is that there is no law that permits the state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun to install MacGregor. MacGregor is not our king in Orile Ilawo because we are in court over this already. He has no right whatsoever to exercise any authority over this domain. If he gathers a hundred people together in this town, ensure that you attack them”.
It was also gathered that Ogunsanya’s meeting with some indigenes of the community loyal to him has resulted in a near breakdown of law and order at Orile Ilawo community as one of the youths identified as Omotosho Muyideen was attacked last Thursday 20th of July, 2023.
A source in the community told Our Correspondent that it took the interventions of other youths of the community, particularly those on night security duty to rescue Omotosho from the pool of his blood to a nearby hospital in Abeokuta for medical treatment.
But reacting to Ogunsanya’s inciting actions, the monarch, Oba MacGregor, as well as other sons and daughters, both at home and in the diaspora of Orile Ilawo community of Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State have called on the state governor, Abiodun, the security agencies, as well as other concerned authorities to quickly wade into the crisis brewing in the agrarian community by arresting the usurper before his actions finally jeopardize the peace being enjoyed in the state.
Oba MacGregor particularly demanded that Ogunsanya be arrested and prosecuted for disparaging the Orile Ilawo stool and also calling himself what he is not on the community’s obaship matter.
When contacted, Oba MacGregor told Salient Times that he has nothing to say than appeal to the necessary security agencies and the state government to do the needful on the matter.
Oba Macgregor said inciting the people against constituted authority Oba Macgregor said peddling disaffection among the people by an unscrupulous character who claimed what he was not cannot be said to have the interest of his people in mind.
I have been working on ways to ameliorate the hardship caused by the people like Ogunsanya who flourish in an unstable crisis.
While asserting that he remain the only monarch for Orile Ilawo, Oba Macgregor warned Ogunsanya and his co-travellers not to bring down the town saying that all his actions showed that Ogunsanya did not love his town.
I have been working on ways to ameliorate the hardship caused by the people like Ogunsanya who flaunt their ignorance of what it takes to administer the town.
