Ighoho’s lawyer not authorised to speak for him, says group

An Abuja lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi is not authorised to speak for Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a Igboho, the umbrella body of Yoruba self-determination group, Ilana Omo Oodua, said on Sunday.

Olajengbesi is allegedly not involved in the struggle, the group said.

The lawyer’s job, according to Ilana Omo Oodua, ended with his defence of the rights of the oppressed aides and relations of Igboho arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) last July 1.

“Whatever Olajengbesi says afterwards should be considered as his own opinion and not Igboho’s.

“As our lawyer, he is supposed to speak to the public on our instruction,” the Ilana Omo Oodua said.

In the group’s opinion, the lawyer painted a tired image of Igboho in a new year message.

In the message, Olajengbesi said Igboho was not at war with President Muhammadu Buhari or governors.

The lawyer stated on Igboho’s behalf: “Let it be abundantly clear that I am not at war with President Buhari, the governors or anybody in government.

“What I want the government to do is to address the genesis of my agitation for the Yoruba Nation.

“The genesis is the insecurity in Ibarapalandand other places in the entire Yorubaland…”

But, the Ilana Omo Oodua said the lawyer expressed his personal opinion and did not speak for Igboho as he was not entitled to do so.

The group also clarified its position on this year’s Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections.

The statement by Ilana Omo Oodua group’s spokesman Maxwell Adeleye, reads in part: “The general public should take note that an Osun State politician/Abuja based legal practitioner, Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi, does not speak for Chief Sunday Adeyemo Igboho neither is he involved in the Yoruba Nation Self-Determination Struggle.

“The work of Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi which the Yoruba Nation Self-Determination Struggle hired and paid him for ends at defending the rights of the oppressed aides and relations of Ighoho arrested by the DSS on July 1st, 2021 in Ibadan, Oyo-State, at an Abuja High Court.

“Anything Olajengbesi say afterwards should be considered as his personal opinion and not that of Ighoho’s.

“As our lawyer, he is supposed to speak to the public on our instruction.

“For the record, Olajengbesi has honestly and sincerely made it clear in an interview that he is not interested in the Yoruba Nation self-determination struggle because he believed in One Nigeria; that his only interest is to defend the oppressed and the voiceless people being illegally humilaited by the Federal Government which, to his credit, he has meritoriously executed for us.

“We are surprised that Olajengbesi wrote a new year message to President Muhammadu Buhari on behalf of Ighoho…while he attempted to paint the image of a tired and surrendered Ighoho.

“We want to state very expressly that the so-called happy new year message is a personal opinion of Pelumi Olajengbesi, and not the position of Chief Ighoho.”

The group said its decision to boycott the Osun and Ekiti governorship elections was taken by the Congress of Ilana Omo Oodua on December, 22, 2021.

It said: “Our argument is that with a valid constitution force majure and notice of constitution grievance already declared in line with the United Nations and African Union Charters on People’s Right which Nigeria is a signatory to, the 1999 Constitution which the Nigerian government wants to use to conduct the Osun and Ekiti State elections has already been invalidated.

“Not withstanding our position, we resolved to approach the courts within the jurisdictions of Ekiti and Osun states to put our democracy into test by demanding a declaration that there’s indeed a constitutional dispute in Nigeria.

“As such, the elections in Ekiti and Osun states should not be conducted, hence the basis of the declaration from Professor Banji Akintoye that ‘there ‘ll be no Governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states in 2022’.” (The Nation)