By the year 2003, Otunba Adekunle Ojora had achieved almost all that was there to achieve in Nigeria’s corporate world. He had emerged one of the titians in Nigeria’s board room politics whose influence spanned oil and gas, manufacturing, banking, insurance. Name it, Ojara was there. Except in partisan politics.
Then in 2003 when the former Oba of Lagos, Adeniji Adele, joined his ancestors, Ojora was one of those that threw their hats into the race for who the cap fits to wear to succeed the departed Adele.
He was one of the 11 princes nominated for the stool and was specifically the only nominee from the Adele Ajosun lineage of the Lagos ruling house.
However a significant “twist” arose when a 1989 letter said to have been written by the late Oba Adeyinka Oyekan before his death, the content of which said that he had recommended Otunba Ojora as a worthy successor; this ruffled feathers among the kingmakers but did not stop the selection of a new oba by the kingmakers.
The letter, did not do much in favour of Ojora as he still lost the race for the crown. He lost in the selection process to Rilwan Akiolu, who was crowned on August 9, 2003.
However, following the announcement of Akiolu, Otunba Ojora publicly criticised the selection process, describing the outcome as “very annoying and disturbing”.
While legal challenges to the throne were primarily filed by Princes Adedoyin Adebiyi and Rasheed Modile.
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