Tension as Princes Clash Over Osun Monarch Removal After U.S. Conviction

A meeting of princes in Ipetumodu, Osun State, ended in chaos on Tuesday after a call was made for Governor Ademola Adeleke to declare the stool of the Apetumodu vacant following the conviction of Oba Joseph Oloyede in the United States.

The palace meeting, presided over by the Asalu of Ipetumodu, Chief Sunday Adedeji, began around 4 p.m. and ran smoothly until a prince demanded that Adedeji, as the most senior surviving kingmaker, formally notify Governor Adeleke that the throne was vacant.

Adedeji reportedly rejected the request, recusing himself from any move to declare the stool vacant. His position sparked a shouting match among attendees, and the meeting broke down around 6 p.m.

Speaking afterwards, a prince from the Aribile Ruling House, Olaboye Ayoola, expressed disappointment over the development.

“During the meeting, we all decided that two new kingmakers should be elected to replace the deceased ones and a letter written to the governor declaring the seat vacant. But Chief Adedeji refused, insisting we won’t do that. He also announced he was no longer interested in being a kingmaker. That led to chaos, and the meeting ended without any resolution,” Ayoola said.

When contacted, Adedeji confirmed his stance, saying only:

“It is true. Peace has to reign first.”

Since Oloyede’s conviction, Ipetumodu has been unsettled, with mounting calls for the state government to determine the monarch’s fate.

The Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, had earlier said that the government would obtain a Certified True Copy of the U.S. judgment before taking any decision.

Meanwhile, divisions have deepened among the town’s two ruling houses, Aribile, which produced Oloyede, and Fagbemokun. Some princes in Aribile insist the stool should remain with them until Oloyede completes his jail term, while others argue that a replacement should be chosen from among previous contestants in the same house. Princes from Fagbemokun, however, maintain that the next Apetumodu should come from their side.

Security was tight at Tuesday’s disrupted meeting, with Department of State Services operatives stationed in a patrol van outside the palace.