Oyo monarch calls for govt intervention over alleged dethronement plot

The Aresaadu of Iresaadu in Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State, Oba Abraham Oyerinde, has appealed to the Acting Governor of the state, Chief Adebayo Lawal, to intervene over an alleged plot to dethrone him.

The monarch alleged that the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon. Ademola Ojo, had, in September 2025 and September 2026, written separate letters to the Chairman of Surulere Local Government directing the commencement of a process to nominate another candidate for the Aresaadu stool.

Oyerinde alleged that the move was based on the claim that a court judgment had nullified his appointment as the substantive Aresaadu.

In a statement, the monarch urged the Acting Governor to direct the immediate stoppage of meetings allegedly commenced by the Chairman of Surulere Local Government and the Emiolu Ruling House to nominate a fresh candidate for the Aresaadu stool, which he said had not been declared vacant by any court of competent jurisdiction.

ALSO READ: Atiku fires back as APC chieftain wants EFCC probe over alleged financial sleaze

He said, “It is of extreme importance and urgency to again call your attention to a disturbing matter as it relates to the injustice meted on me as Aresaadu of Iresaadu, HRM Oba Abraham Olafimihan Adeyeye by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters headed by Hon Ademola Ojo.

“The Ministry has just issued a fresh letter in September 2026 to the Chairman of Surulere Local Government, directing him to instruct Emiolu Ruling House to nominate a candidate for appointment as a parallel Aresaadu while I am still on the throne.

“Not only that the Court of Appeal (in Appeal No CA/1/291/2002) had ruled that it is not the turn of Emiolu Ruling House to present candidate for the throne, but also the subsequent suit (Suit No HOI/4/2019) filed by Emiolu Ruling House to challenge my appointment has since been dismissed without any appeal on it.

“I had made an earlier appeal in an open letter published in Tribune of 28th October 2025 in this regard when the Ministry issued a similar letter to the Chairman of Surulere Local Government sometime in September 2025 to initiate the process of appointing a parallel Aresaadu from Osunbiyi Ruling House, the process that had been concluded, supervised and documented by Government officials more than Seven years ago which culminated into the approval by Former Governor Abiola Ajimobi.”

The monarch further appealed to the Acting Governor to urgently direct the withdrawal of the letters issued by the commissioner and order the stoppage of any meeting organised by the Chairman of Surulere Local Government and the Emiolu Ruling House to nominate a fresh candidate for the Aresaadu stool.

He maintained that the stool had not been declared vacant by any court of competent jurisdiction.

Oyerinde also called on the state government to nullify any process for the fresh nomination of a candidate to the Aresaadu stool, describing such a process as an illegality and a violation of subsisting court orders.

He further urged the government to sanction any erring officials found culpable in the alleged process.