Jailed Osun monarch: ‘We will act soon on the matter’ — Govt

The ongoing disputes between the royal princes and lawmakers of Ipetumodu in the Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State regarding the removal of the Apetu of Ipetumodu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, who was jailed in the United States for swindling COVID-19 relief funds, may soon be resolved.

The state government announced on Saturday that it would take action on the matter in the near future.

The government has instructed Hon. Dosu Babatunde, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, to respond promptly.

Hon. Kolapo Alimi, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, shared this information in a statement issued in Osogbo following a state executive council meeting.

It is worth noting that the effort to dethrone the U.S.-jailed monarch of Ipetumodu turned chaotic last Tuesday.

During a meeting at the community palace, Tribune Online reported that the community princes and kingmakers nearly came to blows over the issue.

At the crucial meeting, the princes of the town called on the community kingmakers to write a formal letter to the state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, requesting King Oloyede’s removal and to initiate the process for selecting the next king of the town. They also sought to have the king dethroned and the throne declared vacant.

However, this request was turned down by the presiding high chief of the community, the Asalu of Ipetumodu, Chief Sunday Adedeji, who is the most senior surviving kingmaker.

This rejection sparked considerable uproar among the attendees, leading to shouting matches and name-calling, with some threatening to resort to physical confrontation if their demands were not met.

Commenting on the situation, a prince from the Aribile Ruling House, Olaboye Ayoola, expressed his dissatisfaction regarding Chief Adedeji’s dismissal of their request, Tribune Online earlier reported.

According to him, “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 said, he was no longer interested in being a kingmaker. That led to chaos, and the meeting ended without any resolution”.

When contacted, Adedeji maintained that, said it was true he rejected the proposal of removing the king from the throne saying, peace should allowed to reign in the community.

However, Osun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, no action could be taken on the matter until the government, obtains a Certified True Copy of the U.S. judgment.

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