Olajengbesi, the Managing Partner, Law Corridor, in a terse statement on his official Facebook page, announced his withdrawal.
His resignation followed a statement by the umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Ilana Omo Oodua (IOO), that the Abuja-based lawyer does not speak for Igboho or is involved in the Yoruba Nation self-determination struggle.
He said: “This is to officially announce my resignation as counsel involved in any matter relating to Chief Sunday Adeyemo Igboho and the Yoruba Nation agitators.
“As a firm, we are satisfied with our little best in contributing to providing legal solutions and representations to Chief Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho) and associated Yoruba Nation agitators, as far as ensuring the protection and enforcement of their rights in this matter.
“We were able to secure the release of 12 persons brutally and unlawfully arrested by the reckless Department of State Services (DSS), and also secured the release of an innocent herbalist, equally, unlawfully arrested and detained by the DSS.”
“We have two persons with ongoing terrorism trials at the Federal High Court and our firm will dutifully continue and close the trial having commenced their matter.
“While thanking everyone, particularly Chief Yomi Aliyu SAN for the opportunity and freehand service, Dr. Olasupo Ojo for his fair leadership and Chief Femi Falana for allowing his industry to be tapped and for the moral support, I most respectfully wish to now step aside.”
MEANWHILE, in the statement, which preceded Olajengbesi’s withdrawal, Media Officer of Ilana Omo Oodua, Maxwell Adeleye, said: “As our lawyer, he is supposed to speak to the public on our instruction.”
The statement reads in part: “The general public should take note that an Osun State politician/Abuja-based legal practitioner, Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi, does not speak for Chief Sunday Adeyemo Igboho, neither is he involved in the Yoruba Nation self-determination struggle. Anything Olajengbesi says afterward should be considered his personal opinion and not that of Ighoho.
“For the record, Olajengbesi has honestly and sincerely made it clear in an interview that he is not interested in the Yoruba Nation self-determination struggle because he believes in one Nigeria; that his only interest is to defend the oppressed and the voiceless people being illegally humiliated by the Nigerian government, which, to his credit, he has meritoriously executed for us.
“We are surprised that Olajengbesi wrote a new year message to President Muhammadu Buhari on behalf of Ighoho and lobbied, indirectly, the Nigerian Government, while he attempted to paint the image of a tired and surrendered Ighoho.
“We want to state very expressly that the so-called new year message is a personal opinion of Pelumi Olajengbesi and not the position of Chief Ighoho.
“Mr. Olajengbesi further went against the run of play when he attacked our revered worldwide leader, Prof. Banji Akintoye, on social media for relaying the position of the self-determination struggle that there will be no governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States in 2022.
“Mr. Olajengbesi is a politician from Osun State, with a strong interest in this year’s governorship election in his home state. While Mr. Pelumi Olajengbesi has a right to do whatever he likes in his personal capacity, we are, however, surprised he could be wildly unethical in his approach by choosing to use social media to attack Prof. Banji Akintoye’s new year statement on behalf of the Yoruba Nation self-determination movement.”
“We state very unequivocally that Olajengbesi is the one heating up the polity and not Prof. Akintoye or Ilana Omo Oodua. Therefore, we want to tell the whole world that Olajengbesi shall be held responsible should anything happen to Prof. Banji Akintoye or any of the leaders of the Yoruba Nation self-determination struggle.”
