Ewi/Edemo face-off: Communities pledge loyalty to traditional ruler 'Edemo family warns against intimidation, harassment

Oke-Ewi, Odo-Ado and Oke-Ila communities in Ado-Ekiti have pledged their solidarity with the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, following the face-off between the monarch and a prominent chief in the communities, the Edemo.Heads of the various communities made the pledge at the palace of the monarch in Ado-Ekiti while speaking at a briefing by the chiefs of the community over what they said was 'the rumours, misrepresentations and half-truth on the deposition of the Edemo, Chief Bamidele Adujoju, by the Ewi recently.'The community heads, namely Chief Odoloro of Oke-Ewi; Chief Odolofin of Odo-Ado; and Chief Akpugbo of Oke-Ila, who spoke one after the other, were joined by others, including some individual families, to assure the traditional ruler of their support, contending that the decision of the traditional ruler on the Edemo was 'a popular position of the chiefs in Ado Kingdom.'But the Edemo family, in a reaction, maintained that Chief Aduloju remained their leader and the Edemo of Ado Ekiti, saying Chief Aduloju should not be harassed or intimidated.In a statement signed by Chief Adeoye Aduloju, the Alaga Oke-Ile Edemo and Chief Abudu Abugan, the Alaga Odo-Ile Edemo, they said they had challenged the deposition of the Edemo via a suit with number HAD/226/2011 in court.In a statement read on behalf of the family by Olaseeni Aduloju and Ogunojo Aduloju, the family said despite the fact that the matter was in court, the Ewi went ahead to call for nomination of another person for the same position of Edemo of Ado-Ekiti, saying 'even, despite this, we all resisted that the monarch be reported to court for contempt charges as a mark of honour for the traditional institution.'Addressing a large gathering of members of the community at the meeting held at the Glass hall in the palace, the Odogun of Ado, Chief Oba Aladetoyinbo, said claims that Oba Adejugbe was demanding for land from the Edemo was not true, and reiterated that Chief Aduloju allegedly committed sacrilege, including the felling of a sacred tree.Aladetoyinbo added that all decisions taken on Chief Edemo remained the same as, according to him, he has not shown remorse on the alleged misdeeds he perpetrated and further alleged that Chief Edemo had written to alert of plans to attack the palace through an official letter in which he reportedly referred to his home as 'palace.'He charged the people to come out to the court en masse on July 10 to show solidarity with the Ewi, saying he remained the ruler of our community.Meanwhile, the Edemo family denied the allegations and maintained that the crisis started in November 2011 when a land dispute between the Aduloju and Baisaya families.
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