Tension as Princes, Kingmakers Clash Over Move To Dethrone Jailed Osun Monarch -

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By Ibironke Mulikat

A leadership crisis is brewing in Ipetumodu, Osun State, following disagreements among princes on whether Governor Ademola Adeleke should declare the Apetumodu throne vacant after the U.S. conviction of Oba Joseph Oloyede.

The traditional ruler, who is the 27th Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, was in August sentenced to over four years in prison by a U.S. federal court for COVID-19 loan fraud. He was also ordered to forfeit assets and refund more than $4.4 million.

On Tuesday, tensions flared during a meeting of Ipetumodu princes at the palace, chaired by the Asalu of Ipetumodu, Chief Sunday Adedeji. The gathering, which began around 4 p.m., reportedly turned chaotic after a prince demanded that Adedeji, the most senior surviving kingmaker, write to the governor declaring the stool vacant.

Adedeji rejected the proposal and later recused himself from the process, a decision that provoked a shouting match and forced the meeting to break down by 6 p.m.

Speaking after the session, Olaboye Ayoola, a prince from the Aribile Ruling House, said the meeting had initially agreed to elect two new kingmakers and notify the state government of the vacancy, but Adedeji’s stance derailed the agreement.

“Chief Adedeji refused and said he was no longer interested in being a kingmaker. That led to chaos, and the meeting ended without resolution,” Ayoola told reporters.

When contacted, Adedeji confirmed his decision but said he acted to prevent further unrest. “It is true. Peace has to reign first,” he said before declining further comment.

The dispute has exposed divisions between Ipetumodu’s two ruling houses Aribile, which produced the embattled monarch, and Fagbemokun. While some in Aribile argue the throne should remain with their lineage until Oloyede’s sentence ends, others say a fresh selection should be conducted among eligible candidates from the house.

Princes from Fagbemokun insist the turn has shifted to them, arguing that the crisis under the Aribile monarch justifies their claim to the stool.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, in a statement on August 26, confirmed Oloyede’s conviction, stating that he and a co-conspirator exploited COVID-19 relief loans under the CARES Act between April 2020 and February 2022.

Since the judgement, the town has been on edge, with mounting pressure on the state government to determine the monarch’s fate.