“I hold Obas in high esteem,” says Tinubu

Mr. Tinubu said monarchs’ roles in national security and elections are important.

A national leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, has described as “political mischief” the attempt to misconstrue his statement concerning the Yoruba Obas.

Speaking with journalists on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti after attending the party’s rally where its flag was presented to the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, Mr. Tinubu said he holds the monarch in high esteem and could not have made any unpleasant remarks about them as alleged.

He said he holds many Yoruba chieftaincy titles and that those claiming that he described the Obas as uncultured were mischief-makers.

“I have never referred to any Oba in Yoruba land as uncultured,” Mr. Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State said.

“I hold Obas in high esteem. I have so many titles especially from Yoruba land. Only those involved in political mischief will try to misconstrue the respect I have always given the Obas. They are just making a mistake”.

The APC leader said the country’s monarch had a role to play in promoting national security and credible elections,
He added, “During the Age of colonialism, the Obas were the custodians even the defenders of our territory and ever since they have been protecting us in their own cultural ways, especially great Obas like the Alaafin of Oyo, the Soun of Ogbomosho and even the Ooni of Ife among several others.

“Like Ooni of Ife said, they held forth while many of us were hunted and hounded out of the country by military dictators and history has documented our roles comprehensively.

“If we did not survive that period, we would all have lost whatever values we have now or the dispensation we now enjoy. But because we now have democratic institutions does not render them invalid and I have never referred to any Oba in Yoruba land as uncultured.”