Ipetumodu kingmakers reject plot to dethrone convicted monarch in America

Kingmakers in Ipetumodu, Osun State, have rejected moves to declare the throne of the Apetumodu vacant following the conviction of Oba Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede in the United States.

The 27th Apetumodu, Oba Oloyede, was in August sentenced to over four years in prison for COVID-19 loan fraud and ordered to forfeit assets while paying restitution of more than $4.4 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

At a meeting of princes held inside the palace on Tuesday, pressure mounted on the Asalu of Ipetumodu, Chief Sunday Adedeji, to write to Governor Ademola Adeleke declaring the stool vacant. Adedeji, the most senior surviving kingmaker, declined the request and announced his withdrawal from succession matters, insisting that peace must first prevail. His position effectively stalled the move to unseat the monarch.

Prince Olaboye Ayoola of the Aribile Ruling House expressed disappointment over the outcome, stating that the gathering had initially agreed to appoint two new kingmakers and inform the governor of the vacancy before Adedeji’s rejection disrupted proceedings.

The development has deepened divisions within the community’s two ruling houses — Aribile and Fagbemokun. While some members of Aribile maintain that the throne should remain with them until Oba Oloyede completes his sentence, others call for a replacement from their lineage. Princes from Fagbemokun, however, argue that the next Apetumodu should be chosen from their side based on rotational tradition.

The Osun State Government has yet to make an official statement. Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, said the state would first obtain a Certified True Copy of the U.S. judgment before taking any decision.

Security was tightened at the meeting, with operatives of the Department of State Services stationed outside the palace to maintain order.