By Dayo Johnson Akure
ONDO State government Thursday presented letter of appointment to the newly appointed Deji of Akureland Prince Adebiyi Adesida thereby ending the controversy trailing the vacant stool.

The presentation was made by Deputy Governor Alhaji Ali Olanusi few hours after the Kingmakers completed the selection process in which Adebiyi was picked as the Deji elect.

Prince Adesida pledged his loyalty to the state government and the people of the state and to uphold the custom and tradition of the town.

Meanwhile the Commissioners for Information Ranti Akerele and Chieftaincy Affairs and Local Government Diran Iyantan said that 15 Kingmakers according to the result of the selection forwarded to the state government by the Secretary to the Local government, voted in the selection of the new Deji while another Kingmaker the Asamo High Chief Olusanya could not vote during the exercise.

Akerele added that the state government after careful perusal of the report of the Official of the Akure South Local government which was present at the selection has approved the selection of Adebiyi Adesida as the Deji elect.

But one of the Kingmakers, High Chief Bolanle Falade disagreed with the state government saying that the result of the selection exercise was hijacked and the result not announced on the spot.

Falade who is the Odopetu threatened that they would go to court to challenge the decision of government to announce Adebiyi as the Deji elect instead of Ademola Adegoroye.

But Akerele and Iyantan insisted that High Chief Falade was economical with the truth and that he has no right under the law to announce the result of the selection process.

The local government according to him had conducted the selection process transparently and in adherence to the Chiefs law and custom.

They pointed out that those that supervised the election disallowed the Asamo who came with his wife and son to vote because it was against the custom and tradition that voting should be done by proxy.

The Commissioners denied that government has any vested interest in any of the nine candidates that were screened by the Kingmakers.

Speaking with newsmen the Attorney General and Justice Commissioner Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, said that all the facts on the selection exercise are available for verification.

But the Odopetu High Chief Falade said “We were not informed that any vote was voided, Chief Aro was also assisted as he was also sick, we don’t know the outcome of the voting but all we know is that nine of us voted for Adegoroye”.

A statement he read to newsmen said “we the undersigned kingmakers of Akure, constituting the majority vote out of 16 extant kingmakers, in compliance with relevant laws and in conformity with the Akure traditions, met today the 11th day of August 2010 at the Akure south local government council secretariat.

“After a careful and dispassionate consideration of all the nine nominated candidates who showed interest, we, in the interest of Akure people and kingdom, having satisfied ourselves and conscience, hereby state that Prince Ademola Adegoroye was not only the preferred candidate by the Ifa oracle, but also the best amongst all the candidates who showed interest in the Deji stool and therefore decided to cast our votes for him”.