The kingmakers in Alade-Idanre, located in the Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State, have announced that none of the candidates vying for the obaship title has been selected as the king in the agricultural community.
They emphasized that the community will adhere strictly to its customs and traditions in the procedure for selecting a new monarch.
The traditional throne became vacant following the passing of Oba Olusegun Akinbola, who transitioned to the ancestral realm in October 2020 at the age of 80.
The Lisa of Alade- Idanre Community, Chief Oladiipo Akinsowon, while speaking on Tuesday, said, “Presently, we have no king in Alade but we have a regent. As a regent, I have been on the throne since the past three years taking control of the community, holding meetings with my chiefs because presently, the regent is the acting Oba.”
“If anyone is parading himself as a king, he’s never an Oba. I think he is arrogating power that doesn’t belong to him. Nobody can become the Oba without the consent of the kingmakers and we’ve not chosen anybody as the king and no Oba has been approved by the court as the Aladeokun-in-Council of Alade, Idanre.”
He stated that the recent ruling from the Ondo State High Court has instructed the kingmakers to adhere to traditional methods in the installation of an Oba.
“Since both papers sent to the court have not been recognied and to avoid vacuum, we have to liaise with the elderly people in the community, discuss the matter with them for possible advice on further steps.”
“We have a part of Idanre that has experienced 25 Obas on the throne and the 26th one is on the throne. There are traditional ways they used without relying on commission recommendation. We will consult all those people, the elders and they will guide us on the way forward.
“We are not considering any ruling house for now because those that were sent to the court were struck out. Like I said, we have some communities that have not relied on court’s judgment or any commission before installing their obas.
“So, this time, we are going purely on the traditional way of installing an Oba,” he stated.
The traditional chief emphasized that neither the courts nor the kingmakers had endorsed any individual, asserting that anyone aspiring to lead the community must be from either of the two ruling houses: the Akinbola and Akinboro.
Additionally, the Secretary of the Youths Association in Alade-Idanre, Mr. Adewale Akinrinlola, expressed the community youths’ satisfaction with the kingmakers’ decision to address the vacant throne. He stated that the youth’s anticipation was for the appointment of a new king to contribute to the community’s development.