* Ooni of Ife
By Steve Oni, Ilorin
Concerned Coordinators of the Odua People’s Congress (OPC) have commended the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi II for admonishing Otunba Gani Adams to resign as the National Coordinator of OPC in order to put an end to the lingering crisis rocking the congress.

 The spokesman for the Coordinators, Comrade Maruf Olanrewaju, who gave the commendation at a press briefing in Ilorin the Kwara State capital asserted that the monarch gave the advice during a meeting with them in Ife on Monday.

 Maruf, who is also the OPC Coordinator in Kwara  state, described the admnonition from the frontline Yoruba monarch as a welcome development, saying it was the only way to resolve the leadership crisis which had sorely affected the Yoruba socio-cultural group.

 He noted that the Ooni’s position was for peace to reign in the congress as National Coordinatorship of OPC should be based on tenure.

 He said: "His Royal Majesty made us to realise that it is only the royal fathers and other traditional title holders that die on the throne and also with their titles.

 “But for a position like that of a national coordinator, it is temporal and tenured."

 Comrade Maruf, who described the order as the best way to resolve the crisis in the OPC and reclaim the lost glory under Gani Adams, assured the monarch that the group would be available for the reconciliatory move by the royal father to re-unite all the warring groups that were aggrieved due to the dictatorial style of Gani Adams’ leadership.

 Corroborating the spokesman’s briefing, Comrade Sina Akinpelu from Ibadan said they were overwhelmed by the decision of Ooni over the crisis, noting that the order for Adams to step aside was in the interest of the members, the congress and the Yoruba nation.

 Akinpelu stated that Adams was not the only national coordinator that the group had produced, saying Dr Fredrick Fasheun served and bowed out

 .
Also speaking, Comrade Olayinka Olowo from Lagos said that what was morally right is for Adams to yield to the order of the respected monarch for peace and sanity to prevail.

 Olowo  said that the group supported the concept of rotating the position to forestall leadership crisis in the future.

 According to him, allowing people to stay in positions of authorities for long makes them to develop a wanting-to-die-there syndrome.
Other leaders of the group that graced the press briefing included Chief Boye Mayangbe popularly known as Baba Odua General, Comrade Rotimi Akinsowu and Comrade Rasaq Aroguntade.