By Sola Isola – Ibadan

Ilana Omo Oodua (IOO), the umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups has said that the Abuja based legal practitioner, Mr Pelumi Olajengbesi do not speak for the Yoruba Nation self-determination struggle or the detained Yoruba Nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Igboho.

This was contained in a statement signed Maxwell Adeleye, Communications Manager to the Chairman of the group and made available to Vanguard on Sunday in Ibadan.

The group explained that Olajengbesi was hired to defend the rights of the oppressed aides and relations of Ighoho who were arrested by the DSS on July 1st, 2021 in Ibadan, Oyo-State at an Abuja High Court adding that whatever the lawyers says outside this is his personal opinion.

Ilana Omo Oodua also stated that the plan to stop Osun and Ekiti governorship elections will be done within the ambit of the law and no violence will erupt adding that they would approach the court to stop the polls.

The statement reads, “the general public should take note that an Osun State Politician/Abuja based Legal Practitioner, Mr Pelumi Olajengbesi do not speak for Chief Sunday Adeyemo Igboho neither is he involved in the Yoruba Nation Self-Determination Struggle. 

“The work of Mr Pelumi Olajengbesi which the Yoruba Nation Self-Determination Struggle hired and paid him for ends at defending the rights of the oppressed aides and relations of Ighoho arrested by the DSS on July 1st, 2021 in Ibadan, Oyo-State at an Abuja High Court.

“Anything Olajengbesi says afterwards should be considered as his personal opinion and not that of Ighoho. As our Lawyer, he is supposed to speak to the public on our instruction.

“For the record, Olajengbesi has honestly and sincerely made it clear in an interview that he is not interested in the Yoruba Nation self-determination struggle because he believes in One Nigeria; that his only interest is to defend the oppressed and the voiceless people being illegally humiliated by the Nigerian Government which, to his credit, he has meritoriously executed for us.

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“We are surprised that Olajengbesi wrote a new year message to President Muhammad Buhari on behalf of Ighoho, lobbied indirectly, the Nigerian Government, while he attempted to paint the image of a tired and surrendered Ighoho. 

“We want to state very expressly that the so-called happy new year message is a personal opinion of Pelumi Olajengbesi, and not the position of Chief Ighoho. 

“Mr Pelumi Olajengbesi further went against the run of play when he attacked our revered worldwide leader, Professor Banji Akintoye on social media for relaying the position of the Self-Determination Struggle that there ‘ll be no Governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States in 2022.

“Mr Pelumi Olajengbesi is a Politician from Osun State with a strong interest in this year Governorship Election in his home state and the 2023 general elections that Ilana Omo Oodua want to use the instrumentalities of the law to stop, hence, his decision to attack Professor Banji Akintoye, not because he truly loves Chief Sunday Adeyemo Igboho who had before his arrest, made it clear to the world that it is #NoReferendumNoElection.

“Most surprisingly, Olajengbesi, for reason(s) best known to him, clandestinely attempted to link Professor Banji Akintoye (the man that authorised the payments for his service) to an act of violence despite the Octogenarian Renowned Scholar stating in his statement that “the Self-Determination Struggle shall tow the pacts of law and peace” to achieve its aim.

“While Mr Pelumi Olajengbesi has a right to do whatever he likes in his personal capacity, however, we are surprised he could be wildly unethical in his approach by choosing to use social media to attack Professor Banji Akintoye’s New Year Statement on behalf of the Yoruba Nation Self-Determination Movement.

“We at Ilana Omo Oodua, being the umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, consider Olajengbesi’s action as a betrayal of trust that we repose in him and an abuse of the ethics of his legal profession. He took advantage of his association with our movement to perpetrate his personal agenda to our own detriment which is against the run of play.

“For clarity purpose, the decision to boycott and do everything within the ambits of the law to stop the Osun and Ekiti States 2022 Governorship Elections was taken by the Congress of Ilana Omo Oodua on 22nd December, 2021. 

“Our argument is that with a valid constitution force majure and notice of constitution grievance already declared in line with the United Nations and African Union Charters on People’s Right which Nigeria is a signatory to, the 1999 constitution which the Nigerian Government want to use to conduct the Osun and Ekiti State Elections has already been invalidated. 

“Notwithstanding our position, we resolved to approach the courts within the jurisdictions of Ekiti and Osun States to put our democracy into test by demanding a declaration that there’s indeed a constitutional dispute in Nigeria and as such, the elections in Ekiti and Osun States should not be conducted, hence the basis of the declaration from Professor Banji Akintoye that “there ‘ll be no Governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti States in 2022”.

“We state very unequivocally that Olajengbesi is the one heating up the polity, and not Prof. Akintoye nor Ilana Omo Oodua. Therefore, we want to tell the whole world that Olajengbesi shall be held responsible should anything happen to Professor Banji Akintoye or any of the leaders of the Yoruba Nation self-determination struggle. 

“We are just trying to explore the Constitutional avenue in the fight for our inalienable right for Self-Determination. If Olajengbesi has no ulterior motive, the best standard practice is for him to call Professor Banji Akintoye or the Head of the Legal Team for the Yoruba Nation Self-Determination struggle, Barrister Olasupo Ojo for clarifications instead of rushing to the social media to impress his friends. 

“Anyone perpetrating or planning violence is not one of us. We want to assure Olajengbesi that if we lose in the Nigerian Courts, we shall take our case to the ECOWAS Court or the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It is no retreat, no surrender”.

Vanguard News Nigeria