Osun Monarchs Disassociate Themselves From Endorsing President Jonathan

Some leading traditional rulers in Osun State Tuesday dissociated themselves from the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan as a preferred candidate for the Saturday presidential election.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade had endorsed Jonathan in his palace and directed some other traditional rulers in Osun to point their beaded walking sticks on Jonathan to pray for the President’s success in the election.
In a communiqué signed by the traditional rulers after their meeting at the palace of Akirun of Ikirun, the monarchs faulted their colleagues in the state who endorsed Jonathan at Ife.
The monarchs who attended the meeting and signed the communiqué include Oba Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi, the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abioye Oyebode Oluronke, the Olukuku of Okuku, Oba Joseph Oladunjoye Fasikun, the Olunisa of Inisa, Oba Olayiwola Olawale Adedeji, the Akirun of Ikirun and Oba Rauf Adebayo Olaniyan, the Elende of Eko-Ende.
Others are Oba Kelani Adekeye Oyedare, Oloyan of Oyan, Oba Isaac Adetoyi Adetunlurese, the Onirun of Oke-Irun, Oba Yusuf Omoloye Oyagbodun, the Elerin of Erin Osun and Oba Munirudeen Adesola Lawal, the Timi of Ede.
The monarch said the endorsement of President Jonathan in Ife was generating ripple among their subjects who thought that the entire traditional ruler in the state partook in the endorsement of the president.
The monarchs lamented that they were embarrassed when some of their subjects demanded for their own share from the hard currency allegedly doled out by the president at Ife.
According to the communiqué, “the general impression is that all traditional rulers in Osun State, without exception, were involved.
Consequently,our subjects have been accusing us, demanding our explanation for engaging in such an act. Some of them (our subjects) have also demanded for their own share of the money we collected”.
It continued “No doubt, this is an embarrassing situation to us. For this reason, we have decided to make it clear to the public that not all traditional rulers in Osun were involved in the act”.
The monarchs said good governance that would bring better life to their people is their main concern and called on their subjects to discountenance their issue of money and vote according to their conscience.