How Gbenga Daniel almost dethroned me for telling him the truth – Alake of Egbaland

Debo Popoola
Even kings and queens have their moment of discomfort. They too also experience that moment when they feel threatened and consequently lost appetite for merriment associated with their status as the most culturally and socially elevated among men and women of their domain.
Most times, a lot of people are ignorant of the pains that always come with high positions. The opulence and grandeur that characterize these positions always overshadow the pains in them.
The paramount ruler and Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, on Wednesday spoke on how the erstwhile governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, plotted to remove him from the stool and how his ancestor came to his rescue in ensuring that the plot did not succeed. This was revealed at a press conference organised by the monarch ahead of his 10th coronation anniversary at his palace in Abeokuta.
He said his only offense he committed against the former governor was bringing to Mr. Daniel’s attention, the deplorable condition of roads in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Oba Gbadebo said if not for the Abeokuta court judgement which ruled that the governor could not dethrone traditional rulers, he would have been removed from the throne by now.
He said while the plan to dethrone him was ongoing, Duro Onabule, a former Chief Press Secretary to former military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida, published a two-part article where the court judgement was quoted verbatim in the newspaper.
The monarch said he never criticized the Daniel administration as claimed by the then government, saying he merely called the attention of the government to the deplorable condition of roads in Egbaland at that time.
He explained that the governor’s Chief of Staff, Abayomi Majekodunmi, was a witness at the occasion where he (Alake) appealed to the administration to fix the potholes in the state but was misconstrued when the newspapers reported it the following day.
The monarch said in response to his observation about the deplorable roads, the governor at the time sent a text message to one of his aides, directing that he (Gbadebo) had become one of the critics of the government and must be dealt with.