Kingmakers close ranks, pick new monarch for Eruwa town in Oyo

The process of selecting a new Eleruwa of Eruwa in Oyo state took a fresh dimension on Thursday as the kingmakers declared that a new monarch had been selected.
This came nearly six years after the Supreme Court removed Oba Samuel Adegbola from the throne.
The ruling, delivered in 2019, found Adegbola’s ascension inconsistent with the 1957 Eruwa Chieftaincy Declaration, ending his 21-year reign.
On Thursday at the Eleruwa’s palace, Oke-Oba, Eruwa, the kingmakers closed ranks and nominated a new monarch for the ancient kingdom, whose name they already forwarded to the governor for further action. One of the 18 aspirants got the unanimous nod of the kingmakers.
Earlier, the Laribikusi Ruling House, comprising the Agbaragba, Ajao, Omoni, and Sabi families held an expanded meeting at the Eleruwa’s palace, where they resolved longstanding internal disputes and appointed Chief Dejo Akinlade as the head of the family to lead the selection process.
Chief Akinlade later led a delegation to the Chairman of Ibarapa East Local Government, Hon. Kazeem Owolabi Arogundade, on Monday, January 13, to formally communicate the family’s resolution and initiate the next steps.
During his address, Chief Akinlade expressed gratitude for the trust placed in him and called for unity within the ruling house.
“We must not allow external forces to exploit any divisions among us and rob us of our rights. It is time for the Laribikusi Ruling House to ascend to the throne once more,” he stated.