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ALAAFIN:Gbadegesin Became Oyomesi’s Choice After N15m Bribe
ALAAFIN: How Gbadegesin Became Oyomesi’s Choice After Alleged N15m Bribe for Each Chief ( THROWBACK)
Eagles Sight News has gathered that two Oyomesi chiefs, Lamidi Oyewale and Asimiyu Atanda, laid allegations of bribery against Lukman Gbadegesin several months ago.
In a throwback report credited to Fig.ng the dual testified to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that Gbadegesin offered each of the five kingmakers a substantial bribe of N15 million during the Alaafin selection process.
Quoting the report,
“S.M. Galadanchi, the EFCC counsel, told a high court in Oyo State that Atanda and Oyewale had admitted to the EFCC that the kingmakers decided to choose Lukman Gbadegesin as Alaafin Candidate after he offered them N15 million each.
“This was before the court rejected the Oyomesi chiefs’ request to stop the EFCC from probing them for taking bribes from Lukman Gbadegesin, an Alaafin candidate, on Friday.
“Justice Ekerete Akpan dismissed the chiefs’ application on grounds of incompetence.
“Yusuf Ayoola (Basorun), Lamidi Oyewale (Sanu), Asimiyu Atanda (Agbaakin), Hamzat Yusuf (Akinniku) and Wakeel Oyedapo went to court to claim that the Oyo State Government was using the EFCC to witch hunt them.
“FIJ had exposed Gbadegesin for his history of bad business and the multi-million debts he created for a business partner. ”
Makinde Approves Owoade as New Alaafin
Meanwhile, in a recent update published by Eagles Sight News on Friday, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has approved the appointment of Prince Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo.
The recent approval of Owoade by Governor Makinde was disclosed to the general public by Dotun Oyelade, the commission for information and orientation to Oyo State Governor, Makinde Eagles Sight News reports.
Owoade, the newly approved ALAAFIN succeeds the late Oba Lamidi Adeyemi who joined his ancestors on April 22, 2022, aged 83.
In a further update, Eagles Sight News quotes Fig.ng that, “The announcement came a day after five kingmakers in Oyo Town rejected a directive issued by the governor to initiate a fresh selection process for the Alaafin of Oyo throne.
“The kingmakers, consisting of Yusuf Akinade, the Basorun of Oyo; Wakeel Akindele, the Lagunna of Oyo; Hamzat Yusuf, the Akinniku of Oyo; Wahab Oyetunji, a warrant chief standing in for the Asipa of Oyo; and Gbadebo Mufutau, a warrant chief standing in for the Alapinni of Oyo, went on to insist that Lukman Gbadegesin, another kingship aspirant, had already been chosen as the new monarch.
“In a letter addressed to Makinde, the kingmakers accused the governor of undermining an ongoing court case concerning the selection process.
“At the time, S.M. Galadanchi, the EFCC counsel, told a high court in Oyo State that Atanda and Oyewale had admitted to the EFCC that the kingmakers decided to choose Gbadegesin as Alaafin Candidate after he offered them N15 million each.
“Before the hearing, the court had rejected the Oyomesi chiefs’ request to stop the EFCC from probing them for taking bribes from Gbadegesin. The chiefs had also claimed the Oyo State Government was using the EFCC to witch-hunt them.
“The chiefs’ application was rejected on grounds of incompetence.
“In April 2023, articles and rumours claimed Gbadegesin had been crowned the new Alaafin of Oyo. FIJ found these rumours and some pro-Gbadegesin reports to be disinformation. The state government would, however, later respond that it had not given assent to any new Alaafin.
“Makinde further said at the time that he refused to approve any candidate’s name because the Oyomesi had not followed due process.
“FIJ had exposed Gbadegesin for his history of bad business and the multimillion-naira debt he once created for a friend.
“On May 20, 2023, FIJ published a story on how Gbadegesin chose not to repay a N20 million loan that Omosalewa Akinleye, his UK-based friend, helped him secure from a bank in 2021.
“When the loan became N48 million due to several months of unpaid principal and interest, Akinleye resorted to selling her assets so she could pay the interest.
“To make matters worse, Gbadegesin issued three Wema Bank cheques totalling N48 million to clear the debt at the time but they could not be cashed. There were no funds in the Wema Bank account when Gbadegesin issued the cheques on it.
“When the matter was reported at the Nigeria Police Headquarters in Abuja, Gbadegesin ended up paying N23 million out of the N48 million consolidated loan.
“By then, Akinleye had become a high blood pressure patient due to the stress and anxiety she was subjected to. It was later revealed that Gbadegesin had planned to spend about N200 million in his bid to become the next Alaafin of Oyo.
“Before the story was published, FIJ reached out to Gbadegesin for a reaction to Akinleye’s accusations but he did not issue a response. Three days later, he made an additional payment of N9.2 million, leaving a balance of N15.8 million.
“Other sources spoke to FIJ about their fear of Gbadegesin and regret of ever doing business with him.”
Source:Fig.ng
