The Oba of Lagos. Rilwanu Akiolu, is reluctant to clear the air on the anti-Igbo statements attributed to him on Sunday, PREMIUM TIMES can report.
During a courtesy visit by Eze Ndigbos (Igbo traditional rulers) in all the local governments in Lagos at the Oba’s palace, Mr. Akiolu reportedly said that the Igbos resident in Lagos should cast their votes for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Akinwunmi Ambode, or perish inside the lagoon.
PREMIUM TIMES’ reporters were not at the event where Mr. Akiolu spoke. But repeated efforts by this newspaper to reach the Lagos monarch on Monday for his reaction were unsuccessful.
When this newspaper called the Oba on his mobile telephone on Monday morning, his aide, who answered the call, said Mr. Akiolu was in a meeting and could not immediately respond to the matter.
Our reporter stressed the urgency of our enquiry and requested the aide to help pass our message to the monarch without delay.
He promised to do that after explaining that he (aide) was not competent to confirm or deny what the Oba said at the event.
But over two hours after our call, the Oba’s palace is yet to revert to us. Subsequent phone calls to the monarch’s telephone lines were unanswered.
However, four people, including a journalist, who were at the meeting at the Iga Idunganran palace on Lagos Island confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Akiolu indeed made the statements attributed to him.
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