Communal Crisis: Your Suspension Stands, Ekiti Govt Tells “Erring” Traditional Chief

The government said the reversal being sought by the Chief can’t be entertained due to the pendency of the case challenging his suspension in the court of law, saying this will be grossly subjudicial.

Chief Bodunde, had been having a frosty relationship with the Onimesi of Imesi Ekiti, Oba Olatunji Olatunde, which forced the Monarch to report him to the State government, citing allegations of the Chief’s involvement in acts that could cause problem in the community.

Sequel to this, Chief Bodunde was slammed with suspension by the State government on August 10, 2023 for his failure to attend a peace meeting convened by it, warning that he should stop parading himself as Olokun, pending the resolution of the matter.

Fighting to have his suspension reversed, Chief Bodunde, had in a letter dated August 30,2023, and addressed to the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, pleaded for another peace meeting with Onimesi to resolve the matter.

But while presiding over the matter on Thursday, Mrs Afuye said the government would have loved to resolve the impasse, but for the fact that the Chief had rushed to court to invalidate his suspension.

The Deputy Governor’s action followed the submission of the Writ of Summon filed by Chief Bodunde against Onimesi, and where the Ekiti State Government was joined as a defendant.

Addressing the embattled Chief, Mrs Afuye said: “It surprises me that you wrote a letter on August 30, 2023 seeking for a peace meeting, but I didn’t know you had filed a suit on August 24, challenging your suspension for not attending the meeting called on August 10th to settle the matter.

“It is customary in this office not to entertain any case in court, that will be prejudice and presumptuous. If you want us to reverse this suspension, you won’t be challenging us in court. You can’t be approbating and reprobating at the same time.

“So, pending the time you will do the needful in this matter, your suspension stands and subsists”, she said.

However, Oba Olatunde has said he is ready to make peace with all the stakeholders in Imesi Ekiti to make the town great in terms of progress and development.

The monarch said all the issues being raised by Chief Bodunde could have been resolved by government, but for the suit he filed against him and the state government over his suspension.

The traditional ruler appealed to the estranged Chief to respect leadership and hearken to the voices of reasoning that he shouldn’t stoke the ember of discord and acrimony or disrespect the government on this matter.

Tracing the Genesis of the crisis, Chief Bodunde said his problem started in 2018 when he resisted attempt to bend the Onimesi Chieftaincy Declaration to favour the installation of the current monarch because of his believe that issue of tradition should embrace honesty and transparency.

The Chief added that another area of disagreement was the allegation leveled against him by Onimesi that he was challenging his authority and causing a breach of peace in the town.

He clarified that the suit he filed was against his suspension by the Onimesi-in-Council and not against the state government as being misconstrued by the monarch.