Olute stool: Ondo ruling house trims aspirants for smooth succession

Peace has returned to Ute community in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo following the decision of the Olule Ruling House to streamline the number of contenders for the vacant Olute of Ute stool.

The first-class throne became vacant after the demise of Oba Adetunji Oluwole Akinrogbe I, who reigned for over 30 years. His passing initially triggered tension as more than a dozen princes signified interest in succeeding him.

To forestall disputes and preserve unity, the ruling house harmonised interests and reduced the list to four consensus aspirants: Prince Adeusi John Idowu Ajakaye, Prince Olubunmi Agbanoja, Prince Abdul Abi Bola Omoloja, and Prince Ben Oju Osebayowa.

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Speaking on behalf of the family, Prince Osebayowa clarified that the exercise was purely a family-level screening and not the final selection of a new monarch.

He explained that the move was to ease the task of the kingmakers and government authorities, who are constitutionally empowered to decide the next Olute.

Osebayowa said, “We are from Ute, and we belong to the only Ruling House in the Ute community. We are all aware that our monarch is late, and many of us are vying for the throne.

“When this process began, we had about 11 or 12 aspirants contesting for a single throne. We have been holding a series of meetings. At our strategic meeting in the presence of all the aspirants, the entire family, the secretary, and aspirants from abroad, including those from Portugal and the USA, and even my own brothers who were present, we deliberated.

“We agreed that it would be naive for four families to present multiple candidates for the position of Oba. Instead of having many candidates, we said it was unwise. It is not good enough. It does not show that we are educated or exposed as a family.

“So, we proposed a way forward: talked among ourselves, and produced consensus candidates or nominees. In some families with three aspirants, we urged them to reduce the number and present only one. Where there were four aspirants in a family, we advised the same.

“We all agreed, and that was the resolution of our meeting held on the 20th of July. We initially had a meeting on July 6, where we made the decision to streamline the number of candidates.

” I anchored the meeting. I suggested that we give ourselves two weeks to carry out this important assignment, and everyone agreed. The meeting ended in a cordial atmosphere, with no disagreement or rancor.

We were happy that we were on the right path, and we even believed the local government would commend us for such a thoughtful initiative.

“At the expiration of the two-week grace, we reconvened at the same venue. In the presence of all the aspirants and the entire family, we asked each of the four families to present their candidate. And indeed, they did.”

Osebayowa, however, refuted claims that a new monarch had been selected, explaining that the exercise was purely a family-level screening to narrow down the list of contenders.

He emphasized that the ruling house has no office of a “Deputy Head” and insisted that anyone parading such a title should be treated as a fraud and prosecuted.

He said: “We know that for a first-class throne, candidates cannot be selected without the appropriate machinery of government. What is the essence of our exposure, education, and past service in government if we ignore due process? We cannot, on our own, select an Oba for a first-class stool. That is not possible.

“What we did was to reduce the number of aspirants from each family so that only one candidate emerged from each of the four ruling families, thereby presenting four candidates in total.

“We have many branches, but only four branches showed interest in the vacant stool. So now you have four people representing four different families, and we are not saying we have selected a monarch.

“What we have done is simply family-level screening. The four of us are now to face the appropriate government machinery—either the kingmakers or the prescribed authority for the final selection.

‘And any of us who later emerge as king will be supported to unite the family and ensure peace reigns in the community.”

Another aspirant, Prince Omoloja, recalled that the late monarch endured nearly three decades of turbulence on the throne, noting that even after his death, court disputes that had earlier dethroned him prevented his burial in the palace.

He accused some people in the town of fueling tension by spreading falsehoods about the succession process, urging the state government to call the people to order to forestall a breakdown of peace in the community.

The family secretary and other prominent members were also present at the meeting.