Tension has engulfed Owo town following the circulation of a leaked audio recording allegedly featuring the suspended Chairman of Owo Local Government, Hon Tope Omolayo, in which he was said to have made disrespectful remarks about the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III.
One of the allegations earlier raised against the embattled chairman by the Legislative Council bordered on disrespect for traditional rulers.
The controversy deepened when the leaked call, reportedly between Omolayo and a female political officeholder, surfaced, in which he allegedly used offensive words against the monarch and threatened to use his position to lock down the Olowo’s Palace over political disagreements.
The leaked audio was said to have sparked outrage among residents, as some angry youths threatened to attack the suspended chairman before the monarch’s timely intervention averted a violent protest.
It was gathered that Omolayo has since left town to avoid confrontation, while community leaders continue to appeal for calm.
A source close to the palace said the Olowo had been pacifying the youths and urging them not to take the law into their own hands.
The source added that the monarch’s fatherly role helped to prevent the situation from escalating.
Meanwhile, the Owo Youth General Assembly has condemned the chairman’s alleged comments, describing them as a direct affront to the throne of the Olowo.
The group also declared Omolayo persona non grata in Owo, calling for stronger disciplinary action against him.
In a statement signed by its president, Comrade Olaposi Oyegoke, also known as Experience, the group said, “Levity of tone or licence of rhetoric does not furnish public officials with the liberty to vilify traditional authorities.
Such language is an assault upon the dignity of an institution that embodies the moral compass of the Owo people.”
Oyegoke commended the suspension of the chairman and urged the Ondo State Government and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to set up an independent panel to investigate the matter.
He said any public official who disrespects traditional institutions must be made to face the full weight of the law.
Efforts to reach Hon Tope Omolayo for his reaction were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to his phone were not answered at the time of filing this report.
Source: SUNSHINETRUTH