Community Youths Reject Suspension, Insist Chief Olalekan Remains Asiwaju Orile-Imo
ABEOKUTA – Youths in Orile Imo, a community in Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have declared their support for the purported suspension of Asiwaju of Orile Imo, Chief Olalekan Olakunle, rejecting his purported suspension by community monarch, Oba Reuben Sogaolu.
At a press conference held on Wednesday, the community youth leader general, Chief Jimoh Olorunsogo, speaking on behalf of the youth population, said the suspension was illegal, stressing that Oba Sogaolu lacked the authority to suspend a chief.
“We, the youths of Orile Imo, stand solidly behind Asiwaju. We do not want war or crisis, and that is why we have called on the Baales to take decisive steps to forestall trouble. We are also calling on the government through the media to intervene immediately,” Olorunsogo said.
The youth leader explained that their solidarity with Asiwaju Olalekan was rooted in his contributions to the development of Orile Imo, which had positively impacted different groups in the community.
He was flanked by his deputy, Lukman Ogunleye, the Olori Odo of Idofin Odo, Kola Ogunseye, and several other youth leaders who also spoke in support of the Asiwaju.
The youths described as “faceless” the members of the Orile Imo Traditional Council who endorsed the suspension letter signed by Chief Isiaq A. Adesanya, the Balogun of Orile Imo.
In the suspension letter dated August 12, 2025, the council alleged gross misconduct, non-compliance, and failure to recognize the constituted authority of Orile Imo as grounds for Chief Olalekan’s removal.
But in his reaction on Tuesday, Chief Olalekan insisted that he remained both the Asiwaju of Orile Imo and the Chairman of the Baale-in-Council.
