Community leaders and stakeholders from Owo and Ose Local Government Areas of Ondo State have rejected Ikare Akoko as the capital of the proposed Ose State with and described the move as “procedurally defective, morally indefensible, politically provocative and economically untenable”.
This was the decision at the end of Owo/Ose Community Stakeholders Conference held at the weekend in Owo Town Hall under the chairmanship of the Olowo of Owo, Oba (Dr.) Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III.
The traditional rulers, political leaders, technocrats, clerics, youth and women representatives, civil society groups, and other stakeholders from the two LGAs unanimously opposed the proposed capital.
The bill, sponsored by Hon. Ife Ehindero, who represents Akoko North-East/Akoko North-West Federal Constituency, has reportedly scaled through the first reading at the National Assembly.
Speaking at the conference, Oba Ogunoye who was chairman of the occasion, called for unity among all Owo-speaking communities in the two local governments.
His words: “We are one and should continue to be united. Even if there are issues, we should sit down and resolve them. Ose and Owo are inseparable because we share so many things in common.
“We share the same tradition, and we speak the same dialect. We should not give room for cracks among us.
“The meeting should afford us the opportunity to open our minds and chart a way forward in unison, together we move and stand by our decision.
“That is the reason for this meeting. We must prepare ourselves for the feature. We must unite ourselves and protect our land.
In a communique issues at the end of the meeting, the leaders rejected the plan to make Ikare-Akoko the capital of the proposed Ose State without consulting Owo and Ose indigenes, calling it an affront to their historical status.
They reaffirmed the centuries-old cultural, economic, and political ties between both areas, stressing unity as vital for relevance, security, and development.
They recalled that Owo was the administrative headquarters of the defunct Owo Division, which covered present-day Akoko and parts of Kogi State, and maintained that Owo/Ose remains the true hub of governance and development in Ondo North.
The delegates described the Ikare-Akoko capital proposal—driven largely by Akoko leaders—as undemocratic and an attempt to erode Owo and Ose’s strategic preeminence.
The conference urged President Bola Tinubu to formally recognise Ondo’s Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) through due constitutional process, noting this would boost national growth and development.
The people of the two local government areas, however, stated in the communiqué that: “Owo and Ose communities shall henceforth pursue deliberate, sustained and coordinated efforts across political, economic, cultural and developmental fronts in order to project a unified identity, enhanced collective security and also secure formidable bargaining power in the national arena.
It read in part: “That all traditional institutions, civil society leaders, political office holders, youth formations, market associations, religious groups, and other socio-political stakeholders within the Owo/Ose axis shall work in unison to protect the dignity, heritage, security, and developmental aspirations of the people.
“That the arbitrary and exclusionary proposal for the creation of “Ose State” with its capital at Ikare-Akoko is rejected in its entirety, being procedurally defective, morally indefensible, politically provocative, and economically untenable.
“That any future attempt to redraw the administrative map of the region, whether in the form of state creation or boundary adjustment, must be predicated on inclusive consultations, constitutional procedure, empirical viability assessments, and equitable representation of all constituent stakeholders.
“That should a state be created within the Ondo North Senatorial District, involving the present territories of Owo and Ose, the only historically consistent, politically justifiable, and infrastructurally equipped location for the capital remains Owo.
“But this too cannot be declared unilaterally; the eventual choice shall be based on consultation within Owo and Ose Federal Constituency.
“The conference shall establish a high-powered Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising eminent legal practitioners, seasoned media professionals, astute political strategists, revered traditional authorities, intellectuals, opinion leaders, and civil society leaders to implement the product of this conference which should have been processed by a Think-Tank empanelled for that purpose.
“That while the people of Owo and Ose stand firm in defence of their historical rights and strategic centrality, the door of principled negotiation remains open to our Akoko brothers and sisters, not for capitulation but for a mutually beneficial accord in the greater interest of regional harmony and equitable development.
“That Owo/Ose people unanimously resolved to take all necessary actions to redress the procedural irregularities and substantive inequities inherent in the proposed Ose state, thereby safeguarding the political integrity, territorial equity, and rightful aspirations of our people against the anomalies perpetuated by our Akoko brothers.
“That the Conference calls on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to give recognition to the LCDAs created by the government of Ondo State, through the required constitutional procedure, as such imprimatur is an elixir to national growth and development.”
The conference unanimously nominated Senator Dr. Bode Olajumoke to lead efforts in advancing the Owo/Ose agenda on the contentious Ose State proposal.