Publisher of Sahara Reporters Omoyele Sowore has challenged the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, to prove the claim that he (Sowore) concealed the plan to hold a gathering to call for the resignation of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in getting approval for the use of Akure Town Hall.
Akeredolu’s failing health and refusal to hand over power to his deputy Lucky Aiyedatiwa has raised tension and created a political crisis in Ondo State.
Mr Sowore however plans to hold a gathering at the Akure Town Hall on December 16 to, according to him, seek “ways to navigate out of the state of political stalemate”.
In a statement on Monday, the chief press secretary of the Deji of Akure Adeyeye Michael explained why the approval for the use of the hall was revoked.
He said, “It is an established standard that, anyone or organizations requesting the usage of the hall or any community facilities for any activities must make full disclosure of the purpose of the usage. Without mincing words, the hall is made available for all activities including social events, religious activities, and political gatherings and rally amongst others. However, concealing the real motive for a gathering for which an approval for the usage of the hall is sought negates the standing rules for getting the facility approval.”
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Reacting to the statement on Tuesday, Mr Sowore said in a press release signed by his lawyer Tope Temokun, “While the palace reserves the discretion to determine who is allowed to use the town hall for any legal purpose, cancelling a licence already given upon payment of the demanded fees for the use, on an allegation of securing the use through concealment of real purpose, is not just a breach of contract which is actionable and for which we shall press suit for redress, but also very discriminatory, as no credible reason or explanation had been adduced for the cancellation.
“We challenge the palace to come out with full details of the concealment alleged by the palace and the disclosure the palace now discovered to be the concealed purpose for taking up of the hall, because the statement issued by Mr Michael Adeyeye, stated that the decision to rescind the approval of the town hall use was because the facility was allegedly booked under a ‘pretentious manner’ to conceal the real motive of the usage.
“We are challenging the palace to disclose the ‘pretentious manner’ or the false motive given and disclose the real motive it discovered and the source of its information, because the hall had not been used, let alone for any illegal purpose!”
The statement added, “If the palace is afraid of a ‘procession’ or a street protest, as unintentionally but tacitly revealed in Mr Adeleye’s Press Statement, the town hall was not booked for a procession or a street protest because a procession or street protest cannot take place inside a hall as there is a clear difference between a town hall meeting and a street protest because the town hall is not a street.”
Sowore said in a post on X that he had instructed his lawyers to file a lawsuit against the palace and the Department of State Services (DSS) which he said was responsible for the revocation of the approval.
