As activities towards installing a new Akinrun of Ikirun has begun after the final burial ceremony of Late Oba Rauf Adedeji, the Gboleru royal house who is the next in line to produce the next Akinrun is awaiting the directive of the state government on the presentation of its candidate to the throne.
MRS. UNICE ADEDEJI IKEOLA, the Ifelodun Council Manager in the State of Osun, disclosed that the local government office is awaiting the directive of the Ministry in charge of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs on the vacant stool.
According to Mrs Ikeola, Akinrun is a first class stool in the state and for this reason, a careful and due processes need to be followed so as to ensure fairness.
The Gboleru ruling house, who is next in line to produce the next Akinrun of Ikirun, Newsclickng.com gathered, is said to be making all preparations and arrangements aimed at ensuring a peaceful selection of a candidate within the ruling house for the exalted position.
According to findings by Newsclickng.com, a government Gazette of 1980 signed by Chief Bola Ige, the former Governor of old Oyo State, during the reign of Late Oba Lawani Adeyemi, there are three ruling houses in Ikirun land. They are Obaara, Adedeji and Gboleru Ruling houses.
Oba Lawani Adeyemi Oyejola, from the Obaara ruling house, ruled between 1945 – 1989 after which Oba Adewale Adedeji II who died few weeks ago came to the throne from 1991–2021.
While reacting to insinuations from some quarters, especially by Ile Sekan family laying claim to the throne, Mr Abimbola Tooki, the spokesperson of Gboleru Ruling House, told Newsclickng.com exclusively that Ile Sekan has never been a member of Gboleru Ruling House.
He said in the entire history of Gboleru as a Royal house in Ikirun, no part of such history can be attributed to Ile Sekan as a member of the family.
For the avoidance of doubt, Tooki stated as follows:
1. Gboleru migrated from Ile-Ife and settled at Igbo Irele from where he moved to Oke Agbon as final settlement place till date.
2. Gboleru became a threat to others around him at that time because he gave birth to many sons who are automatically potential kings. They reasoned that if all the sons of Gboleru should become king one after the other, their own chances of becoming king would be delayed or become very remote. They therefore conspired against Gboleru and started killing his sons one after the other with poisoned cane during Egungun festival
3. The elders investigated the killings and discovered that the mass death of Gboleru’s sons was caused by those who are envious of Gboleru and his many sons
4. This made Gboleru and most of his family members leave Oke Agbon. While some of them settled at Ile Odofin, some settled at Oke Afo While the rest stayed back at Oke Agbon till today. All the Gboleru children from these three locations still do things together till today as one united family. In fact while oba Kolawole was on the throne, he relocated his first son Olatunji to take possession of Oke Afo’s settlement and that’s how Doudu compound (Ile Daudu) came into being.
5. It has never been part of history that any of Gboleru’s sons settled in Ile Sekan
6. Therefore, no descendant of Ile Sekan has ever been part of Gboleru’s history and we have never had anything in common
7. It is noteworthy that all sons and daughters from Gboleru lineage are uniquely identified with either three or seven lines of tribal mark
8. Gboleru migrated from Ile-Ife while descendants of Ile Sekan migrated from Oyo
9. The real children of Gboleru and any other person of Royal blood don’t carry Irele’s calabash during the traditional Irele annual festival and it is a known fact that daughters of Ile Sekan have carried the calabash seven times before the late King Adedeji stopped the yearly Irele festival
10. The only relationship that exists between Gboleru’s family and Ile Sekan is inter marriages between the two houses. They married our children and we married theirs. There is no other connection between Gboleru and Ile Sekan other than the fact that we are in laws.
11. It is part of Royal family tradition that if an elderly person dies, all the family members contribute the cloth for the burial. It is never in history that Ile Sekan has ever contributed to such arrangement for the Gbolerus’.
12. It was Mr Kondosile, a friend to Baba Popoola Olatunji of Daodu’s family who introduced Baba Solaro of Ile Sekan to Baba Popoola as a friend after the later won an election as a councilor. This was how Baba Popoola became Baba Solaro’s friend. They later became so close that wherever Baba Popoola went to any public function, he took along Baba Solaro only as a friend.
According to one of the stakeholders in chieftaincy affairs in Ikirun, the entire process of selecting a new oba for the town is expected to be peaceful as there is no misunderstanding among all the kingmakers and other stakeholders in the town as to the next ruling house to produce the next king which is Gboleru family.
Although there are indications that the family of the late Oba Adeyemi is making secret moves to put forward a candidate in case the Gboleru family is unable to produce one, investigations revealed that the Gbolerus has more than enough qualified candidates for the position.
Ikirun is in dire need of developmental projects which the sons and daughters of the town want the new king to address. These include award of scholarship to indigenes, citing of small scale industries, construction of more classrooms in primary and secondary schools, equipping the Ikirun library with current books and computers, establishment and reawakening of banks, expansion of market stalls and provision of recreational facilities amongst others.
“Our prayers is that the exercise takes place without much rancor and that it ushers in peace and tranquility to the ancient community.” a prominent daughter of Ikirun told Newsclickng.com
