Fayose,Others Warn Tinubu..Stop Insulting Our Obas

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the June 21 governorship election in Ekiti State, Mr Ayo Fayose, has chided the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, for a statement credited to him that “the good Obas’ in Yorubaland, who are forthright, firm and stand by the truth are not up to five, they are just three.”

According to a statement Fayose made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Saturday he warned Tinubu to “desist from insulting Yoruba Obas, especially those in Ekiti State.”

Fayose, who described Tinubu’s statement as an insult on the entire traditional institution in Yorubaland, added that “Only someone without history and integrity will open his mouth to castigate our Obas, who are the custodians of Yoruba culture and tradition.”

In a release issued on Saturday, and signed by the Director General, Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation (AFCO), Chief Dipo Anisulowo, the PDP candidate maintained that “traditional rulers in Ekiti State are not useless, and we take serious exception to any individual or group rubbishing our revered Obas.”

He commended the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade for rising in defence of Yoruba Obas against Tinubu’s insults, urging other notable traditional rulers to also “rise up and defend the Yorubas traditional institution, which is being ridiculed by Tinubu and his APC.”

While eulogising the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, during his 80th birthday, Tinubu had said the Awujale was not part of the useless Obas in Yorubaland, who are sell-outs, we know them, and it is not yet time to mention names, adding that “The good Obas’ in Yorubaland, who are forthright, firm and stand by the truth are not up to five, they are just three. Oba Awujale, Oba Akiolu and another.” 

Fayose also saw Tinubu’s comment as a calculated attempt to cause disunity among our revered royal fathers by playing certain obas against others.

Also the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has stated that former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu’s insult to royal fathers in Yoruba land demonstrated the politician’s wonky background as Yoruba man, noting that only an uncultured Yoruba would make such aspersion about royal fathers.

Tinubu had stated that only three royal fathers in Yoruba land were forthright, a statement that has drawn flanks from different quarters, with the chairman of the PDP in Osun State, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, berating Tinubu as incompetent and unfit to speak about forthrightness.

Olaoluwa said the Yoruba belief that no matter his age or status, an ill-bred person would always misbehave was proved right by Tinubu’s unguided statement, which is “a reflection of how he and his party hold the Yoruba race and its royal father,” adding that the utterance exposed the former governor as an irritable personality on all fronts.

 “Anyway, what else can be expected from a man who has denied his roots for material gains? Who will expect someone that holds great disdain for the Yoruba’s concept of Omoluabi and has even made a failed attempt to discredit the Obafemi Awolowo dynasty to respect our royal fathers? We, in the PDP, are not disappointed with Tinubu, we are only calling on the people of South-West to be wary of the self-styled progressives. They do not mean well for us and that much Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress have shown in the past few years,” Olaoluwa said.