***Princes jostle for throne following ruler’s four-year sentence
There is uneasy calm at Ipetumodu community in Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State following the conviction of the traditional ruler, Apetu, Oba Joseph Oloyede, in the United States, DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS reports.
Oba Oloyede, who holds dual Nigerian and American citizenship, was sentenced to 56 months (over four years) in prison by US District Judge Christopher Boyko after being found guilty of a $4.2 million COVID-19 support fund fraud.
He was arrested during a visit to the US in May 2024 alongside an accomplice, Pastor Edward Oluwasanmi, who had earlier received a 27-month jail term.
The conviction has reignited succession battles in Ipetumodu, as princes from the two ruling houses, Aribile and Fagbemokun, have begun intense lobbying of kingmakers for the throne.
Oba Oloyede ascended the throne on October 26, 2019, after the passing of his predecessor, Oba James Adedokun Adego (Akunradoye II), in 2017.
His emergence followed a hotly contested process involving more than ten princes. Ifa priests, clerics, and Islamic leaders were consulted before he received a formal letter of appointment from then-Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
However, his selection was challenged in court by Prince J.A. Ayoola, 77, who argued that only candidates from the Aribile House and direct descendants of past titleholders were eligible for the stool.
With the monarch now behind bars, succession intrigues have intensified. Sources confirmed that lobbying began as early as January 11, 2025, after Oba Oloyede’s absence was conspicuous during the annual prayers organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Ipetumodu.
The kingmakers, led by the Asalu of Ipetumodu, Chief Sunday Afolabi, are said to be holding a series of meetings on the way forward.
However, their decision may hinge on the stance of the Osun State Government, which has insisted it will await the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the US judgment before taking formal steps.
“The town reached out to the government before the conviction but got no response,” a top source revealed.
“Now that the judgment is out, the state has promised to act only after receiving the CTC. Some contenders are already preparing petitions to fast-track the process.”
The Ipetumodu Progressives Union (IPU), led by Dr. Israel Akinjogbin, has called for calm amid reports that some residents are planning protests to demand the monarch’s removal.
Dr. Akinjogbin noted that despite his conviction, Oba Oloyede had continued to hold virtual meetings with his chiefs. He urged indigenes not to allow the foreign judgment to disrupt peace at home.
“It is important for the people of Ipetumodu to distinguish between the legal proceedings abroad and the peace and order at home,” he said.
A top source disclosed that the kingmakers have commenced meetings on the next move, but their decision may be impeded by the decision of the Osun State Government. Thus, they are holding off on starting any installation process, like writing the royal families and consulting the Ifa oracle, among others.
The source said, “The town has reached out to Osun State Government several times before the conviction, but they kept mum as to what they would do. But now, they have reached out again, which the Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Barr Dosu Babatunde, declared that the State will act after it obtains the Certified True Copy(CTC) of the US judgment.
“Some contenders and stakeholders may submit a petition to the Osun State Government soon and attach the CTC so that the process of installing a new king can be fast-tracked.”
Speaking with DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS, a chieftain of the Aribile Ruling House, where the jailed monarch belongs, Prince Taiwo Ayoola, stated that the mood in Ipetumodu is bad at the moment following the predicament of the monarch.
He said that the indiscretions of the monarch are sacrilegious and unheard of in the history of the ancient town.
“He’s no longer His Majesty because anyone who misbehaves in the manner he did is no longer honourable.
“Look, we have two ruling houses – Aribile and Fagbemokun in Ipetumodu and we are a people of integrity and we are not corrupt in this town. We have never had any corrupt or criminal monarch in Ipetumodu.
“My father reigned as king of Ipetumodu for more than 25 years, and I lived my life in the palace and grew up there, went to school while living in the palace. I can tell you without mincing words that this kind of thing is unheard of in the history of our town and the stool, that a reigning monarch went to jail for fraudulent practices.
Speaking on the mood in the town, Prince Ayoola said: “The people of Ipetumodu are ashamed and are finding it difficult coping with the mockery from the neighbours following the jail term handed to the monarch by the US court for his involvement in fraud.
Prince Ayoola, 83, a retired Registrar at three different state-owned The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, and Osun State College of Science and Technology, Esa Oke, recalled warning the state government and kingmakers against the choice of the monarch in 2019.
”I warned the kingmakers back then to avoid picking the monarch in violation of Ifa’s choice, but they did not listen to me. The incarcerated monarch is not a member of our family. There were 13 contestants for the stool but they jettisoned Ifa oracle and picked the embattled monarch according to their own wisdom. I went to court and challenged the kigmakers, state government, the attorney general without getting any reprieve.
“The gods of our land are the ones angry with him (monarch). He has never slept in the town’s palace for one day. But the sacrilege he committed was pulling down the palace and exposing the bones of past monarchs, because it is a taboo to dig the ground of the palace. Sadly, he moved bulldozers to the place and destroyed the ground of the palace, thus incurring the wrath of our progenitors.
“We are planning to replace him with someone who will be chosen by the Ifa oracle since he’s not dead, hence, we have the right to replace him. Nature abhors a vacuum, and the gods of the land have rejected him; his sentence is a blot on our family and the Ipetumodu in particular.
“We are ready to replace him; however, we shall await the decision of the state government to begin the process before too long.”
Another source disclosed that there have been several meetings by community heads, including the chiefs led by Asalu of Ipetumodu, Chief Sunday Afolabi, who is also the head of the kingmakers.
While consultations continue among chiefs, compound heads, and stakeholders, the atmosphere in Ipetumodu remains tense, with the community caught between respect for tradition and the reality of a monarch serving time in a foreign prison.
DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS observed that there is uneasy calm in Ipetumodu as it was learnt that some people are planning to orchestrate a protest against the convicted king and also hasten the government to quickly select a new king for the town.
Efforts to get a reaction from the head of kingmakers, Chief Afolabi, were abortive as he did not pick up his call and refused to respond to the text sent to his phone at the time of filing this report.
