"There was nothing strange in the removal of Ogundokun as Basorun by Oluwo of Iwo" - Chief Imam

The chief imam said there was nothing strange in the removal of Ogundokun, a former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, by the monarch, whom he said had the absolute power to appoint or remove title holders.

The Chief Imam of Iwo, Sheik Abdulfatai Olododo, has said the removal of Chief Abiola Ogundokun as the Basorun Musulumi of Iwo by the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, is in order.

The chief imam said this in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Osogbo on Friday.

Olododo said the monarch was right to strip the 82-year-old Ogundokun of the Islamic title because the title was conferred on him by the institution of the Oluwo.

He said, “Oluwo is right to strip him of the title because he was the one that conferred it on him. He has the right. I am not part of those, who are saying the Oluwo has no right to strip him of the title of Basorun Musulumi.

“I am in support of the Oluwo. He was the one, who installed me as the chief imam so he has the right to remove anyone, whom he installed.”

Another Islamic leader in the town, Alhaji Bashir Omotokese, said the chief imam had never said the Oluwo was not competent to remove Ogundokun as the Basorun Musulumi.

Another Islamic leader in the town, Alhaji Mutiu Abludazeez, said four of them, including Ogundokun were conferred with various Islamic titles by the late Oluwo.

He said the Oluwo had the right to confer Islamic titles on Iwo indigenes because the practice and the tradition in Iwo were quite different from those of other towns, especially in Yoruba land.

He said, “The Oluwo is the consenting authority regarding Islamic titles in Iwo. He is the one, who appoints the chief imam, and there was a time when the Oluwo’s stool was vacant for years, there was no imam also.

“The town only had an imam when another Oluwo was installed. So, that shows that the Oluwo appoints imams and other Islamic title holders and he can remove them.”

The Oluwo had last week announced the stripping of Ogundokun of all the titles conferred on him, over allegations of disrespect and working against the development of the town.

Ogundokun while reacting to the monarch’s action said the Oluwo lacked the competence to strip him of the titles because he was conferred with them long before Oba Akanbi ascended the throne.