Osun Kingmakers Split Over Move to Dethrone Jailed Monarch

Fresh tension has gripped Ipetumodu, Osun State, following disagreements among kingmakers and princes on whether Governor Ademola Adeleke should declare the Apetumodu stool vacant after the conviction of Oba Joseph Oloyede in the United States.

Oba Oloyede, the 27th Apetumodu, was last week sentenced to over four years in prison for COVID-19 loan fraud, with a U.S. court ordering him to forfeit assets and pay $4.4m in restitution.

At a meeting held Tuesday inside the palace and chaired by the Asalu of Ipetumodu, Chief Sunday Adedeji, discussions became heated when a prince demanded that Adedeji, as the most senior surviving kingmaker, write to the governor formally declaring the throne vacant.

Adedeji rejected the request and announced his withdrawal from any move to declare the stool empty, a stance that sparked chaos and ended the meeting abruptly.

Speaking afterwards, Olaboye Ayoola of the Aribile Ruling House said the session collapsed after Adedeji refused to endorse the decision of princes who wanted new kingmakers appointed and a vacancy declared.

“We agreed a letter should go to the governor declaring the seat vacant. But Chief Adedeji opposed it and stepped aside as kingmaker. That caused an uproar and the meeting ended without resolution,” Ayoola said.

When contacted, Adedeji confirmed his stance but simply added, “Peace has to reign first,” declining further comment.

The state government has yet to take an official position. Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, told The PUNCH that Osun would obtain a Certified True Copy of the U.S. judgment before deciding next steps.

Meanwhile, the two ruling houses of Ipetumodu — Aribile, which produced the embattled monarch, and Fagbemokun — remain divided.

While some in Aribile insist the throne should remain within their family until Oloyede completes his jail term, others say a new monarch should be chosen from their house among those who previously contested.

Princes from Fagbemokun, however, argue that the stool should rotate to their side since Aribile produced the convicted king.

Security was heavy around the palace during the meeting, with operatives of the Department of State Services stationed outside in a patrol van.

The case has left Ipetumodu in suspense, as pressure mounts on the Adeleke administration to decide whether Oba Oloyede can remain monarch while serving a prison sentence abroad.