Why new Agura may not emerge soonest!

It may take longer time for the 10th Agura of Gbagura, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital to emerge.

This is as a result of pending litigation by family members of the two ruling houses eligible to the throne.

Gbagura area of the gateway capital is the homestead of the late Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election in Nigeria.

The royal houses in Gbagura that are eligible to contest the Agura throne are the Egiri and Ajiboso.

The Egiri comprises Jamolu, Ijade, Abolade and Adeosun families while the Ajiboso are just two family lineage, the Olubunmis and Sobekuns.

The first Agura of Gbagura was Oba Jamolu who reigned between 1870 and 1877.

Jamolu was from the Egiri Ruling House which in the past had produced 6 of the 9 Aguras that reigned in Gbagura.

The last Agura of Gbagura, Oba Babajide Saburee Bakre, though claimed to be from the Egiri royal house, this has long before he joined his ancestors on June 14, 2023 had being a subject of litigation by a section of the royal house.

Until he was inaugurated as the 9th Agura on May 21, 2019, by the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Oba Bakre was a Nigeria Customs officer with the rank of a Chief Superintendent.

The aggrieved section of the Egiri royal house which has been contesting the eligibìlity of the late Agura, described him as a royal usurper foisted on them by an influential judicial personality.

As a result of this development, the Agura princes are also claiming eligibility for the vacuum created by Oba Bakre's death.

Below is the declaration made under section 4 (2) of the chiefs law 1957 setting out the customary law regulating the selection to the Agura of Gbagura chieftaincy.

According to the declaration, "the persons who may be proposed as candidates by a ruling house entitled to fill a vacancy shall be a son of a previous holder of the title, provided that if there is no eligible son any direct male descendant.of a previous holder of the title shall be considered suitable ".

It states further:"if there is no direct male descendant, then a direct female descendant shall also be considered suitable. For the avoidance of doubt, direct descendant means a son or daughter, grandson or grand-daughter, great grandson or great grand-daughter and so on" it stated.