The Osun State Executive Council on Monday approved the appointment of Prince Ademola Makinde as the new Owa of Igbajo.
This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the state Commissioner for Local Government and Public Enlightenment, Mr. Kolapo Alimi.
But the Osun State All Progressives Congress, in a statement by its chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, faulted the government’s decision, saying the stool was still a subject of pending lawsuits.
The Owa of Igbajo stool became vacant in November 2022 when the Governor Ademola Adeleke-led Peoples Democratic Government removed Prince Gboyega Famoodun, who was installed by the immediate-past governor, Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC.
Famoodun, before his installation as the Owa of Igbajo, was the Osun State APC chairman.
Adeleke removed him shortly after taking over power as the governor of the state.
The governor also removed the Aree of Iree, Oba Raphael Oluponle, and the Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Olalekan Akadiri, who were also installed by Oyetola.
The monarchs were told to vacate their palaces, pending the outcome of a probe initiated into the circumstances surrounding their appointment by Oyetola.
In a white paper issued after the probe panel had submitted its report, the stools of Owa of Igbajo and Aree of Iree were declared vacant, while the government called for a fresh selection process to fill the thrones.
The Akinrun, on his part, was restrained from parading himself as a monarch pending the determination of a suit before the Court of Appeal.
A statement announcing the appointment of the new Owa of Igbajo partly read, “At the Executive Meeting held at the Exco Chambers, the nomination as forwarded by the Boluwaduro Local Government was approved in line with due process, chieftaincy law and tradition.
“The kingmakers had earlier approved Dr Makinde in line with chieftaincy laws and tradition.
“Governor Ademola Adeleke at the Executive Council congratulated the new Owa of Igbajo and tasked him to heal the wounds of the selection process by ensuring inclusive traditional governance.”
However, expressing displeasure with the appointment of a new Owa of Igbajo, the Osun APC chairman said, “Is Governor Adeleke not aware that there are subsisting cases on the obaship conundrum in three competent courts of law and that he, as the state governor, is a defendant in all the suits?
“Would it be right in the estimation of Governor Adeleke that he should be a judge in his own case? Thank God that the judiciary in whom we have absolute confidence in would adjudicate with fairness on the issue.
“I am telling Governor Adeleke with an air of finality that he would be disgraced on the Oba Famodun’s issue!”
Lawal insisted that “Oba Phillips Adegboyega Famodun is the duly recognised Owa of Igbajo while any other one is a mere impostor who should be treated as such as two monarchs cannot exist in a town.”
“Through this medium, I am appealing to the good people of Igbajo to remain resolute and law-abiding in the face of brazen provocation by the government which ideally should encourage peace and not violence,” the APC chairman said.
