OWU is one of the federating units making up the Egba nation. This otherwise quiet, and sleepy community in the South-Western quarter of Abeokuta suddenly gained unusual national attention this week, when newspapers reported how President Olusegun Obasanjo, who also happens to be the Balogun of Owu, and Chairman of a committee of kingmakers brought a meeting of the kingmakers to a dramatic halt, with a characteristic display of churlish histrionics. Immediately, the choice of a new Olowu of Owu, became a matter for public interest and intervention. It does not quite matter what happens hereafter, whoever emerges as the next Olowu of Owu would be ascending the throne against the background of a set of questions: Is he Obasanjo's candidate Is he a compromise candidate imposed on the kingmakers to help Balogun Obasanjo save face Or is he a symbol of the triumph of the people's will against the force of an individual ego Would Balogun Obasanjo who appears to be so influential allow the new Olowu to reign Would he not turn the Oba into a stooge, summoning him at will to either Abuja or Ota The joke in the developing Owu kingship saga is on President Obasanjo, and it should not be surprising that commentators are already establishing a connection between his conduct at the kingmakers' meeting, and his basic style as Nigeria's political leader. On Monday, the Council of Owu kingmakers held a meeting to consider six candidates for the Olowu stool. At the end of the exercise, one Tayo Adebiyi Fadayiro was the preferred candidate of the kingmakers. But Balogun Obasanjo, also the Chairman of the Committee was not pleased that his own candidate, Sanya Dosunmu who got only three votes, had lost. So, he sprang to his feet, grabbed the piece of paper containing the results from the Secretary of the Abeokuta North Local Government who had attended the meeting, and tore it to pieces. The Balogun reportedly created a scene, threatened to deal with the other kingmakers and stormed out of the meeting. On Tuesday, the rest of Nigeria read the story, wondering why the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria would resort to such "Area-Boyism" at a local meeting of kingmakers. There were many who chose to treat the story with caution, hoping that it would be untrue, and that the President would promptly deny it. But whatever reservations anyone may have had was laid to rest, the following morning when newspapers reported that Balogun Obasanjo had sent a letter to the Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, asking him to dissolve the Council of kingmakers, and appoint new persons to choose the next Olowu. The Balogun Owu's letter was written on the official letter-head of the President of Nigeria; obviously, it is intended to be not merely a request but a directive from the Presidential villa. The Council of kingmakers is a strategic institution in the Yoruba traditional hierarchy. The members are usually traditional chiefs, and members of the local Ogboni society, with the responsibility of ensuring justice and stability in the community. They are the custodians of culture, and a form of parliament to ensure due process and democracy. No Oba ascends the throne in any part of Yorubaland without being screened by the kingmakers who must ensure that tradition is protected. All Owus at home and abroad, in over 40 communities, are all from the same source - an ancestral community called Owu Ipole. Between 1821 and 1825, this community was sacked by the combined forces of Ijebu , Ife and Oyo with an express order by Ooni Gbegbaaje (1823-1835) that the capital of Owu should never be rebuilt. The Olowu at the time had violated the unwritten agreement that no Yoruba should wage war against Ife. With the sack of Owu Ipole, the people dispersed to all parts of Yorubaland, even as far as Dahomey. In their various communities, they are bound by the same ancestry and social identity. Every Owu man/woman is the son or daughter of Anlugbua or Ajibosin Asunkungbade, the first ruler to receive a beaded crown from Oduduwa. The Owu in Abeokuta migrated to this town by the rock in 1834, joining the Ake, Agura, and Oke-Ona. In the past century and more, the people have gone through several political and social evolutions and have become established as one of the strong pillars of the Egba federation. This historical survey is necessary as a means of defining the background to some of the preliminary statements that I now propose to make about Balogun Obasanjo's conduct in the ongoing kingship saga in Owu, Abeokuta. I do not argue that the President should not take an interest in Owu politics. He should. It is part of his fundamental rights as a person and citizen to belong to associations, and participate in community affairs. The only thing that he must not do is to use the instruments of his office as President of Nigeria (including letter headed paper) to pursue his private interests. In Owu politics, Obasanjo's social identity, prestige and ego are involved. He is Balogun of Owu, so he has a stake in the growth and development of the community. He is also without any doubt, the most influential Owu son in the 20th and 21st centuries. He is the pride of all Owu persons wherever they may be. But in the current kingship tussle, Balogun Obasanjo should tread carefully. His conduct at the meeting of the Owu kingmakers has further complicated his image crisis. The reasons that he offered for declaring the election inconclusive are clearly untenable. If there are candidates to be interviewed for a position, the ordinary assumption is that the council of kingmakers would have notified such candidates accordingly. If a candidate arrives late, or does not show up at all, then that should be no reason for declaring the election inconclusive. In the case of the Owu stool anyway, all the candidates are well-known to the kingmakers, and even a favoured candidate who is not at the election venue can still be chosen. President Obasanjo says a candidate who was 30 minutes away was not allowed to show up before the council makers took their decision. What is Balogun Obasanjo saying He is obviously not aware that his letter to Governor Daniel is shot through with self-indictment. The import of his letter is that as Chairman of the Council of kingmakers, he could not provide leadership. He could not carry the council along with him. His decision to single-handedly annul the election is nothing but a display of tyranny. And to think that the President of Nigeria stood up, snatched the election result and tore it to pieces If the Secretary of the Abeokuta North Local Government had resisted him, or if the other kingmakers had chosen to be unruly, what would he have done Would he order his security aides to arrest the kingmakers Second, he should not have been made the Chairman of the Council of kingmakers. As President of Nigeria, and with his stature as the most influential Owu person on the surface of planet Earth, the other kingmakers are bound to find him intimidating. His determination to impose a candidate of his own choice is an expression of this dilemma. Ordinarily, Obasanjo should have been an arbiter in any crisis among his people, he should have been the statesman, assisting the Owu people to select a new Olowu without any rancour. But now, Obasanjo has turned himself into an issue. He is at the very centre of the crisis. He is lucky that there is no quality opposition in Nigerian politics. If this had happened elsewhere, his political opponents would have advertised it as a convincing illustration of his anti-democratic nature. The Alliance for Democracy (AD) has issued a statement saying this much, but it is a tepid statement. Third, the letter to Governor Daniel was an undue show of power and abuse of privilege. It was an unfair letter which put the Governor in a difficult situation. If he did Obasanjo's bidding, he would come across as a stooge, moreso as the President had boasted two days earlier that "he was going to order Governor Olugbenga Daniel to organise a fresh nomination process" (Vanguard, August 10, p.2). If he acted otherwise, he could step on Obasanjo's toes. In the circumstance, the Governor has taken a wise step. Yesterday, a delegation including other prominent Owu sons and Obasanjo's personal friends (in fact, those who can talk to him and he may be tempted to listen) went to Ota, at the Governor's bidding to meet with the Balogun. One thing that the Balogun should be told in clear terms, and which he ought to know, is that as a member of the Council of kingmakers, he is not in a position to ask that the other members should be sacked. To do this would be a case of one chief, de-robing other chiefs, and no Balogun has such powers. The Owu Council of kingmakers is made up of eight traditional chiefs: Akogun, Obamaja, Orunto, Osunpori, Oyega, Omolaasin, Olosi, and Balogun. Indeed, the first six were the original Iwarefa Ogboni. Both the Olosi and Balogun were added only in the later part of the 20th century. Obasanjo , the Balogun, a war chief, cannot claim to be a superior member of the Council of kingmakers. So, when he says the Council should be dissolved, what does he expect the state government to come up with Any Olowu who is not selected by the aforementioned council would not have the authority to ascend the throne. Is Balogun Obasanjo therefore recommending that the unwritten Constitution of the Owu be violated Is he calling for an abuse of the rule of law There are six ruling houses in Owu-Otileta, Amororo, Ayoloye, Akinjobi, Akinoso and Lagbedu. Since 1855, there have been 12 Olowus to date; Otileta Ruling House has produced six, the Ayoloye (2), Amororo (1), Akinjobi (1) Akinoso (1), Lagbedu (1). Succession to the throne among the Owu in Abeokuta has always been an occasion for internal strife. Indeed, between 1980 and 1987, and again, between 1987 and 1993, the Owu Council of Chiefs was at daggers drawn over the appointment of the Olowu. In April 1987, Oba Oyelekan who emerged after so much rancour spent only one month on the throne! The present tussle being spearheaded by the Balogun may have its roots in these past squabbles in which he was indeed, a key gladiator. What is worrisome is that Obasanjo is fighting the present battle not as a private citizen but as Nigeria's President. Besides, he seems to be alone in his corner of the ring. The other kingmakers should insist on their position that they would not allow Balogun Obasanjo to intimidate them. In the end, whoever emerges as the Olowu would be, from the first day, a victim of this crisis engineered by the Balogun. I repeat, therefore, that the Balogun of Owu should tread carefully. Yoruba history is full of stories of powerful titled chiefs who allowed their egos to drive them against their own people. For such chiefs, (Kurunmi, Bashorun Gaa, Efunsetan Aniwura, Olowu Amororo), disgrace was their harvest.
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