The Obasunloye Royal Family, a contender to the stool of the Alani of Ido-Ani in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, has said it will not make the chieftaincy tussle in the community a matter of public discourse.
It faulted an interview the Alani of Idoani, Oba Olufemi Olutoye, a retired Major-General, granted a national newspaper, where he allegedly said the history of the Idoani ruling house was distorted.
A statement by Head of the Obasunloye Ruling House, Chief Adebayo Ologbosere, and its General Secretary, Adedayo Kekereekun, said: “The ruling house is urging the monarch to desist from going to the press on a matter concerning the Ido-Ani royal family, especially the Alani chieftaincy tussle.”
This, the ruling house noted, could jeopardise justice in the matter, especially when the case has not been determined in court.
The statement faulted the report that the other two lineages in the family had fielded obas from 1860 but his (Olutoye’s) had not.
It said: “The Alani failed to mention the two lines and the line he belongs to, which have fielded any Oba. This is because he does not belong to any of the three groups.
“By our records, all the three groups have fielded and produced obas since 1804, and not even 1860, to date.
On the claim by Oba Olutoye that he was invited to be the monarch in 1979 but refused, the statement said when Oba Falade died in 1979, a princess was appointed as regent to fill the vacuum for 14 years.
It recalled that Oba Olutoye retired as Major General from in 1977, saying if truly he was from the royal family, nothing could have deprived him from consulting the royal house to fill the stool in 1979.
The Obasunloye family urged the monarch to stop using the media to distort history.
It added that the family was in the Court of Appeal to challenge circumstances surrounding the installation of Olutoye as Alani of Ido-Ani.