From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The people of Ikirun in Ifelodun Local Government and Ifon in Orolu Local Government, Osun State, are in serious battle over who becomes the next Akinrun and Olufon respectively.
The demise of Oba AbduRauf Olawale Adedeji on February 3, 2021, made the Akinrun stool vacant. Moves to fill the stool have been characterised by division and litigation.
Also, the passing of Oba Almaroof Adekunle Magbagbeola on April 19, 2021, left the stool of Olufon vacant. Efforts to fill the stool have been futile due to the argument that greeted 1979 Chieftaincy declaration and the 1988 Chieftaincy declaration.
There are three ruling houses in Ikirun, Obaara, Adedeji and Gboleru. According to the laid down procedure, the Gboleru ruling house was supposed to produce the next Akinrun because the two others have produced rulers in the past.
However, Gboleru is sharply divided and couldn’t produce a candidate to present for the vacant stool and the division eventually denied them the opportunity. When the time given to them to produce a candidate lapsed, Justice Jide Falola of the state high directed the next ruling house, Obaara, to produce candidate for the vacant stool.
Dr Ismail Lasunkanmi Adeyemi was said to be popular than Prince Akadiri. But he got one vote while Akadiri secured six votes. The kingmakers said Akadiri got the highest votes because Ifa (oracle) was consulted by individual kingmakers and some Muslim and Christian cleric were also asked to pray on it before they took the decision.
Justifying the emergence of Akadiri, the kingmakers led by Chiefs Odofin and Elemo, Rasheed Diekola and Bamidele Mahruf, debunked the rumour that the kingmakers were bribed. He insisted that the process that led to the emergence of Akadiri was devoid of manipulation or bribery:
“Whoever brings Governor Gboyega Oyetola into the process is only unfair to him. He has never been involved in the process. If the governor was involved, we would have been camped in one hotel with food and envelope and it would not have been open place that we did it.
“Everybody voted for the candidate of his choice. The youths came out in their numbers. They insisted that they wanted a youth. We have eight kingmakers and seven of them voted.”
However, Akadiri’s emergence sparked protest within the same ruling house. A group, “Concerned Ikirun Youths,” kicked against his selection, saying the process that led to his selection was faulty.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Olawale Oluwafemi, also from Obaara ruling house, urged the governor to declare the process null and void and set up a committee to investigate the process.
The group advised government to delay the installation pending the determination of the suit before the court. They went to court and Justice Adedotun Onibokun ordered a restraint. He dissuaded government from accepting any candidate for the vacant stool of Akirun of Ikirun from Obaara and Adedeji ruling houses pending the determination of the suit before him.
A motion filed by Gboleru ruling house joined the governor and eleven others as respondents. It urged the court to restrain government from installing any candidate as Akirun of Ikirun pending the determination of the suit before the court.
Justice Adedotun Onibokun ruled: “Leave is granted to the Plaintiffs/Applicants restraining the first and second defendants and the entire members of the Oba Ara and Adedeji ruling houses respectively, from participating in the process of the nomination of the person to fill the vacant stool of Akirun within the life of this interim injunction.
“An order of interim injunction restraining the sixth to 12th defendants (the kingmakers) from sitting, deliberating on and/or presenting any candidate for appointment into the vacant stool of
Akirun of Ikirun chieftaincy outside members from the plaintiffs’ Gboleru family within the life of this interim injunction.
“An order of interim injunction is also granted restraining the third, fourth and fifth defendants, their agents or privies from accepting the nomination of, appointing or installing any candidate presented by the Oba-Ara Ruling House, the Adedeji Ruling House or any other ruling house besides those nominated by the plaintiffs Gboleru family, as the Akirun of Ikirun within the life of this interim injunction.”
In Ifon-Osun, the Olufon Consultative Forum (OCF), warned government against adopting the defunct 1979 Chieftaincy Declaration over the
1988 Chieftaincy Declaration in selecting the next Olufon. A letter signed by Professor James Oladejo on behalf of 29 other elders expressed their displeasure over a purported letter written to the Odunolu Royal Family to produce the new Olufon:
“We have been reliably informed that the Osun State Government has written to the Odunolu Royal family to produce the next Olufon of Ifon-Osun. By so doing, the government has no doubt adopted the defunct 1979 Chieftaincy Declaration and ignored the extent 1938 Declaration.
“The said invitation is contrary to the advice and request put forward to the state government recently in a written submission on the matter by a group of elites from the ancient town of Ifon-Osun.
“The group had requested that the extant provisions of the 1988 declaration be adopted to ensure fairness, peace and progress in the ancient town.
Unfortunately, it would seem that the government is not interested in these three cardinal desires of the people.
“By the same token, we are left to believe that the progress and development of Ifon-Osun are not of major concern to the state government. Instead, the government is attempting to impose a monarch on the people without due consideration of the advice of well-meaning voices within the community of Ifon-Osun.
“The Olufon Consultative Forum hereby condemns the purported invitation to the Odunolu Royal Family and declares it as a recipe for chaos and anarchy within our ancient community imposing a monarch upon the people against their will also has the corollary effect of stiffing cooperation and development in the community.
“We members of the Olufon Consultative Forum hereby call on the state government to immediately reverse and recall its purported letter of invitation to the Odunolu Royal Family before the unwanted consequences of this invitation begin to manifest. All legal and other law avenues will be pursued to resist any attempted imposition of a monarch upon our people.
“The state government must not allow our community to descend into anarchy and our people must not be put in a situation that could turnthem against one another. The only way to avoid such ugly consequences is to listen to the voice of the people.”
Subsequently, the Olaojo Ruling House said there was no crisis amongthe royal families of Moronfolu, Odunolu, Olumoyero, Orisatoyinbo and Oluyeyin. Heads of Moronfolu and Olaojo ruling houses, Princes Suleiman Akinyooye and Wahab Oyegbile, jointly said: “We need to lament that it is the approach of the people in authorities regarding installation of new Olufon of Ifon that created impression as if there is disagreement among us.
“The right of Olaojo Ruling House in accordance with 1988 Olufon Chieftaincy Declaration; which is the extant law is not negotiable.
The extant declaration is still valid and clearly solves all complication arising from wrongful adoption of defunct 1979 Olufon Chieftaincy Declaration.
“The Olaojo Ruling House, which comprises of Moronfolu and Odunolu royal families remains inseparable. We have been holding our joint meeting since time immemorial up till present. However, there is no authentic member of Olufon Royal Family will ever deny existence of the Olaojo that is as par with Orisafi Ruling House.
“The position of the entire Olufon Royal Family was pronounced in the pending suit HOS/104/2020 that Odunolu-Oluronbi of Balogun’s Compound, Ifon-Osun, is not the same as Odunolu Royal Family of Olufon’s Compound Ifon-Osun. It should be noted that the referred litigation against the Olurombi Family of Balogun’s Compound, Ifon, was a unanimous decision by the entire Olufon Royal Family before the demise of Oba Al-Maroof Adekunle Magbagbeola Olumoyero II. We enjoin the Orolu people to await court determination on the same.
“All the members of Olufon’s Royal Family, especially Moronfolu Royal Family know ourselves and will never brake existing biological bond between Odunolu and Moronfolu families.
“We can never deny our dotted relationship with Olurombi Family because of their inter-marriage with both Moronfolu and Odunolu Royal families, which qualifies them as in-laws to Olufon Royal Family.
Specifically, Prince Waheed Tanko Olanipekun of Moronfolu family got married with Fatimoh Memudu of Olurombi family; the same thing applies to Mr Raifu Badiru that married Princess Mujirat Folasade Oyegbile (first daughter of Mogaji Odunolu). These are clear moral indications that confirmed ingenuity of royal affiliation of Olurombi Family with any of the Olufon Royal Family.”
The family appealed to government to ensure the 1988 Declaration is followed.