In what is looking like a looming crisis among market women in Osun State, following the appointment of Chief Mary Aderonke Oyebode as the new lyaloja General, by Governor Ademola Adeleke on Thursday, Alhaja Awawu Asindemade, the current State leader of the market women’s group, has rejected the decision, calling Oyebode’s appointment unlawful.
Asindemade insisted that she remains the State’s lyaloja General, claiming that Adeleke lacks the right to designate a new leader for the market women’s association, which is a non-governmental organization.
Adeleke said in a statement issued by his Spokesperson, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, that Oyebode has made significant contributions to the growth and development of commerce in the state, calling her as “a strong leader of business-women in the state.”
“We approved her (Oyebode) appointment with all sense of responsibility and confidence in her ability to pilot the affairs of women in commerce for the collective prosperity of Osun state,” he said.
According to the release, the new Iyaloja General will be inaugurated next week.
In a phone interview with Osun Defender late on Thursday, Asindemade slammed the appointment, saying, “Adeleke appointed a new lyaloja General for his party, not for Osun State. I am still the Osun lyaloja General. I am unfazed by their current moves.
“Because we are an NGO, the Governor has no authority to appoint a new Iyaloja General. It’s not a political position. When we created the market women’s association back then, we were not inaugurated by the government.
“During the military administration, we invited the wife of Anthony Udofia, the previous military administrator of the State. I founded the state’s market women’s association.
“Every market woman in the state is with me. We are market women who are not partisan; we support whichever government is in power.”