Obasanjo, Sonekan, Others Resolve Egba Monarchs’ Protracted Feud

THERE was indication Saturday that the protracted supremacy battle between the four Egba Monarchs (Ogun State) over the Alake of Egbaland stool has finally come to an end.
Oba Adedotun Gbadebo is recognised as the Paramount ruler of Egbaland. But the four other Monarchs — Osile of Oke-Ona, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, Gbagura of Agura, Oba Halidu Laloko and Olowu of Owu, Oba Adegboyega Dosumu — had, for over 25 years, been insisting that they have equal status with the Alake.
The situation resulted in litigation and bad blood between the occupants of the Alake stool and the three kings and all efforts by prominent personalities to resolve it had failed. The bad blood between the kings got to a stage where the three monarchs no longer talked to the Alake.
But, at a brief ceremony at the Isale-Igbehin, Abeokuta Government House Saturday, the four kings told journalists that all was over.
“We have all resolved to bury our individual differences in the interest of Egba’s unity and progress”, Gbadebo said in a Communiqué, signed by Tejuoso, Laloko and Dosumu.
Present at the ceremony were Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Former Head of Interim Government, Chief Earnest Sonekan, Deputy Governor of Central Bank, Mr. Tunde Lemo, Chief Tunde Abudu, a prominent Industrialist, and Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, a renowned medical practitioner. They are all prominent sons of Egbaland.
The Alake disclosed that the reconciliation efforts were initiated and facilitated by Governor Amosun who, he said, called them to a meeting last month and expressed his dissatisfaction “with the existing relationship among prominent Obas in Egbaland and expressed his desire to ensure peace and harmony among Obas, chiefs and people of Egbaland”.
He disclosed that Amosun, at that meeting, charged Obasanjo, Sonekan and Abudu to form a committee under the Chairmanship of Obasanjo and asked them to find ways of bringing peace, reconciliation, harmony and solidarity among the kings.
He said, in the Communiqué, that the reconciliation was facilitated by frank, open and candid discussions at several meetings they held with the Committee.
“The kings unanimously agreed to sink all their differences and henceforth work together in harmony in the interest of Egbaland”, the Alake disclosed.
Amosun, in his brief remark, insisted, “though we (Egbas) are not quarrelling, we are not as united as we should be”.
He reasoned that because of the Egba’s “pre-eminent status in the country, they could not afford not to unite”.
Obasanjo had earlier ascribed the protracted feud to lack of trust, total absence of dialogue and lack of unity.