Ondo ruling house alleges plot to alter monarch selection process
By Boye Oyeyemi
The Sejeokun Ruling House in Ijare, Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State, has petitioned the state government over alleged attempts to alter the process of selecting a new Olujare, five years after the throne became vacant.
In the petition, the ruling house accused some individuals of attempting to influence the succession process and install a candidate it considers unacceptable. It warned that such moves could undermine the community’s customs and traditions.
The petition, signed by the family’s secretary, Prince Sunday Adekan, expressed concern over what it described as a departure from the established procedures for selecting the town’s next traditional ruler.
Specifically, the ruling house faulted the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for allegedly seeking to replace the traditional Ifa divination process with an election. It argued that the proposed method was inconsistent with Ijare’s long-standing cultural practices.
According to the petition, the ministry’s last official communication, dated September 26, 2023, directed the ruling house to prepare for the final stage of Ifa divination, the customary process for determining the next Olujare.
The stool became vacant following the death of Oba Adebamigbe Oluwagbemigun about five years ago. However, disagreements over the succession have delayed the emergence of a new monarch.
The dispute also took a legal turn in May 2025, when a magistrate’s court in Akure remanded Adekolajo Aladeseyi in custody after he allegedly proclaimed himself Olujare on April 15, 2025, without approval from the state government or the Executive Council of Chiefs.
The Sejeokun Ruling House, which described itself as the only ruling house in Ijare, urged the state government to uphold the established succession procedure and prevent actions that could worsen the dispute over the vacant throne.
