Unless Oyo State Government immediately intervene in the lingering crisis among market leaders and uphold court injunction which ordered it to perfect due process involved in the installation of Alhaji Oladapo YK Abass as the authentic Babaloja-General of the state, the crisis will continue to fester and many people will continue to point accusing fingers to government and its functionaries.
This is as the General-Secretary to the Babaloja and Secretary, Board of Trustees, Bola Ige International Market, Evang Tunde Folorunsho said one Kola Oyedepo who recently granted press interview is unknown to any market association in Oyo State.
Evang Folorunsho, who described Oyedepo as an impostor, also said no meeting was held on the crisis, stressing that the name Oyedepo was never on the association’s register.
He debunked involvement of government functionaries on the polarisation of the market association as alleged by Oyedepo. He, however wondered why some people continue to second-guess the Executive Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde who affirmed the installation of Alhaji YK Abass as Babaloja-General by the late Olubadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji during an event at the late Monach’s Palace.
It would be recalled that Oyedepo alleged that the court had removed Alhaji YK Abass, but Evang Folorunsho debunked it as misinterpretation of court injunction. He challenged Oyedepo, whom he described as a faceless person, to come our from behind his veil and present the fake court injunction he was quoting to the general public.
He stressed that the court injunction only mandated the Oyo State Government, through the state ministry of Trade and Investment, to perfect the due process involved in the installation of Babaloja-General. He also added that the said injunction was directed at the state government and not the association of market men and women.
He also said the court added that both parties should maintain status quo and warned them to maintain peace as nobody should lay claim to the title until government carries out the court injunction.
Evang Folorunsho called on Governor Makinde to expedite action on the court injunction and re-affirm the authenticity of Alhaji YK Abass as the one and only Babaloja-General of Oyo State who was installed by late Ọba Saliu Adetunji.
He also called on warring parties to sheath their swords and allow government takes the due process as ordered by court, stressing that there should be no desperation in the issue of the headship of market unions in the state if the purpose is to serve the people.
Corroborating Evang Folorunsho, Personal Assistant to Alhaji YK Abass, Prince Adeyemi Ojo, said it was never contained in the court injunction that YK Abass is not Babaloja-General, it only said the government must follow due process as market associations had chosen their own leader.
“The court only asked government to follow due process. And when I read the story where one Kola Oyedepo talked about the issue, I asked people in Gbagi Market, but they said they did not know any Kola Oyedepo.
He said that the market associations have done their own due process and waiting for the Ministry of Trade and Investment to call them and carry out court injunction from their own end.
Prince Ojo also responded to a statement credited to one Mrs Danjuma Odunayo Kayode who is an aide to Governor Makinde, and allegedly berated YK Abass for aspiring to be Babaloja-General.
Prince Ojo queried Mrs Kayode’s knowledge on the leadership of the market association, stressing that she is not even one of the parties who took the case to court. He appealed to Mrs Kayode not to interfere with the issue in order to allow peace reign.
He commended Governor Makinde for creating conducive environment for market association and giving necessary attention to traders in the state. He also urged Governor Makinde to expedite action on the issue of Babaloja-General in order to give the case a permanent rest.
While challenging anyone who might be trying to misinterpret the court injunction, Prince Ojo asked them to bring out their evidence that court removed Alhaji YK Abass from the position of Babaloja-General.
“They have court injunction, let them bring it out for clarity sake. Moreover, the late Olubadan didn’t give two persons the title of Babaloja-General, but only Alhaji YK Abass.
“As market associations, we don’t have any leadership problem. The court injunction is for the government and not the associations. So the ball is in government’s court to expedite the due process as ordered by the court.
“And we are very sure that government is working on it. Very soon, government will come our with the due process as the
court ordered.
“Once again, there was nothing like a statement or written injunction by any court that says Alhaji YK Abass should stop parading himself as Babaloja-General in Oyo State.” He stated.
