Ogun community moves against alleged imposition of monarch
• ‘We followed due process in nominating oba-elect’
Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR) and the Igundaniyan ruling house for Afukon Royal Stool of Idarika community in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State have raised kicked against alleged plans by the local government authority to foist a stranger on the Idarika people as their next monarch.
The Igundaniyan ruling house and CHSR said the imposition is causing disaffection in the community, and called on Governor Dapo Abiodun, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Oludaisi Elemide, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, and security agencies, to intervene quickly lest the situation degenerates to anarchy.
The kingship tussle started shortly after the demise of Oba Muibi Akinsanya on January 28, 2021, and an attempt to fill the vacant stool of Akufon Idarika led to disagreement among members of the royal families.
The community has three ruling houses – Alabode, Igundaniyan and Onasanya. The last monarch, late Akinsanya, hailed from the Alabode ruling house. According to the community’s culture, tradition and rotational arrangement, the Igundaniyan family is next to produce the Akufon Idarika.
Secretary of the Igundaniyan ruling house, Moshood Onakoya, while addressing reporters yesterday in Lafenwa, Abeokuta, claimed that following a January 2022 letter from the local government directing the family to nominate a candidate for the vacant stool, it put forward Prince Saheed Abayomi as the right choice for the office, but Abayomi died shortly afterwards, and this stalled the selection process.
Prince Onakoya added that in an April 8, 2024 letter by the Ikenne local government, it again directed the Igundaniyan ruling house to re-nominate of one its princes for the stool, but while they were asking for time to respond, the Ikenne local government authority conducted a kingship selection process without the input of Igundaniyan family or the kingmakers.
According to the family, the selection produced Shomade Olugbenga as the next Akufon of Idarika community.
But Onakoya said Olugbenga is not from Igundaniyan ruling house or any of the other royal families of Idarika. He therefore urged the government to investigate the process that produced ‘stranger as next monarch of Idarika’.
Also, the President of CHSR, Com. Alex Omotehinse, urged Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene in the matter to avert anarchy.
But Chairman of Ikenne local government area, Segun Ogunleye, refuted the accusation. He insisted that ‘due process was followed diligently to select’ the next candidate for the Idarika stool.
He added that the person selected to ascend the throne is neither a ‘stranger nor imposter’, stressing that all necessary documents backing the decision were available for anybody to see and verify at the council secretariat
