Lagos State government and the Nigerian Police Force have been quiet over rumours making the rounds that traditional rulers in some parts of the state have declared Saturday, March 18-the day for the governorship and state house of assembly elections as Orò festival day.
News of this festival, most commonly celebrated by the indigenous male folks of the people of Ikorodu, Epe, Ijegun, and some other places in the state, has dominated discussion on the social media space, especially Twitter, as people look for clarity about whether the event would hold or not.
Ikorodu is trending on Twitter with more than 4,200 tweets as at the time of writing. However, unconfirmed reports said that Orò is likely to kick off this night (Wednesday night) and end on Saturday (election day) in Ikorodu, Ijegun and Elegushi, an area in the Ibeju-Lekki part of Lagos. ‘The Oro’ is also trending, alluding to the concerns on people’s minds.
Traditional rulers around Lagos are taking the laws into their hands are threatening to disenfranchise people with the Oro cult.
The police spox @BenHundeyin has not been picking his calls since on Monday. Is he deliberately avoiding to speak about this blatant lawlessness?
— Nicholas 'The Brave' Ibekwe (@nicholasibekwe) March 15, 2023
If it holds, it is likely that many women and non-natives won’t be able to vote, as it is against the custom for women, girls, and non-natives to come out on Orò day. The implication is that many people are likely to not vote on that day.
I am a indigene of Akesan, the Oro festival has been scheduled before the election was postponed by INEC, the oro is to celebrate one year of Alakesan of Akesan HRM Oba Nojeemdeen Abidemi Aberejo on throne. https://t.co/ZRA9ZsrGB0
— Samuel Jimoh (@oluwa_samuel) March 12, 2023
Reacting to this development, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Lagos State issued a statement urging residents, especially those in the affected areas to come out on election day and vote that they wouldn’t be affected.
He said, “…rumours have been circulating that certain traditional rulers, Baale of Ijegun, and Elegushi are supposed to start Oro today and go all the way to Saturday. Traditional rulers know better than to do any festive that would disenfranchise any voters.
“Carry on our activities, we have barely three days to go—interact, network, and ensure that we get the maximum voter turnout in these local government areas and be rest assured that we are going to come out in force to ensure that we resist any form of intimidation or harassment on Saturday, and we ensure that our votes are going to count because we are going to follow through to make sure it counts.”
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According to the custom in Yoruba land, women and young girls are not allowed to come out on Orò day as men, mostly natives and initiates, adorning their traditional attire with canes in their hands, move around affected areas soliciting for arms and scaring people away.
However, another source said that Orò would kick off in Ikorodu on Wednesday night with Thursday and Friday declared as full Orò days. “I can tell you that Orò will take place tonight, while the remaining ceremonies will continue tomorrow and perhaps end on Friday,” Muti Olasunbo, a civil servant who resides in Ikorodu, told BusinessDay.
No official source has confirmed or dismissed the celebration. The police in the state are yet to make any comments dispelling the rumour and the spokespersons for the Lagos State government are also mum on the issue as of Wednesday.
What is Orò?
Orò is a traditional festival commonly practiced by the Yoruba-speaking people of the southwestern part of Nigeria. It is an annual traditional festival that is celebrated by male descendants who are paternal natives of specific locations like Ikorodu, Epe, some communities in Ibeju-Lekki, some Ijebu-speaking places in Ogun State, and a few other places.
The Orò festival comes from the worship of the Yoruba deity called Orò, known as the god of justice. During the festival, females and non-natives are not allowed to move out of their houses, as the diety can’t be seen, especially by women and girls.
The celebration of Orò differs from town to town; for example, in Ikorodu, when a very important traditional ruler dies, an Orò festival will be held to celebrate his death and period of mourning.
The people of Ikorodu say that during the festival, which usually kicks off at night, the voice or sound of Orò fills public spaces and sometimes private spaces, and it is believed that anybody that hears it gets blessed.
However, it is also believed that if any woman comes out during the festival, she will die.
