Akinrun Stool: Crisis Looms As Gboleru Ruling House Alleges Injustice In Selection Process

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

Crisis is looming in Ikirun, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Osun over the vacant stool of the town.

The Gboleru Ruling House of Ikirun which is the next to produce the next Akinrun of Ikirun accused the State Government of planning to appoint the new Akinrun from Obaara Ruling House.

The Ruling House raised alarm that the State Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs wanted to pick the new Oba from Obaara Ruling House against the existing rotation arrangement.

The development according to CityMirrorNews findings caused confusion in the encient town.

The stool of the Akirun became vacant following the demise of Oba AbdulRauf Olawale Adedeji who died in February after a brief illness.

Oba Adedeji ascended the royal stool in 1991.

With the death of late Oba Olawale of Adedeji Ruling House, it was the turn of the Gboleru Ruling House to produce the new traditional ruler of the town, according to the rotation system as specified in the Ikirun District Chieftaincy Declaration and Gazette of 1959, approved in 1960, re-registered in 1970, which were done during the reign of late Oba Lawani Adeyemi from Obaara Ruling House

However, the selection process was generating tension in the town as Gboleru Ruling House said the state government wanted to appoint new Akinrun from another ruling House known as Obaara instead of Gboleru Ruling House.

The Head of Gboleru Ruling House, Prince Olatunji Mudasiru, appealed to the state Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola to intervene in the matter and ensure that the appointment of new Akinrun follow the existing rotational arrangement.

Addressing newsmen in Osogbo on behalf of the ruling house, Prince Mudasiru, who is the Mogaji of the Gboleru family, said the government had already written to Obaara, to produce the next Akinrun, even though the monarch that reigned before the last one, was from Obaara.

Olatunji, who said going by the dictate of the Ikirun Chieftaincy Declaration, Gboleru is the next ruling house in line to produce Akinrun, adding that the government was hiding behind a court judgement, that claimed that since there was a division in their ruling house, the government could move to another ruling house to pick the new monarch.

He declared that Gboleru had resolved their differences and was ready to produce the next monarch for the town, and urged Governor Adegboyega Oyetola to intervene and stop the move to bypass the family.

“Obaara Ruling House produced the last Akirun before the immediate past one, who was appointed from Adedeji Ruling House and it is now the turn of Gboleru Ruling House to produce the next Akirun in accordance with our rotation arrangement. We have just three ruling houses in Ikirun, namely, Obaara, Adedeji and Gboleru.

“But we were surprised that the state government, through a letter from the Ministry of Chieftaincy Matter requested Obaara Ruling House to nominate a candidate for the vacant stool. We appeal to the Governor to intervene and stop the move by some elements to manipulate the process,” Olatunji said.

But reacting to the situation, the Osun State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode, said the government wrote to Obaara to nominate the next monarch for Ikirun town, in obedience to the order of the court that ruled that since Gboleru Ruling House was unable to produce a candidate, the next ruling house should be allowed to fill the stool.

She said, “Gboleru Ruling House were the next in line to produce Akinrun. Ministry of Local Government informed the Ifelodun local government to commence the process of choosing the next Akinrun. Unfortunately, Gboleru Ruling House is polarised.

“They have some internal issues. Last week Friday, the government was notified of a judgement that said Ikirun was too big to be left without a king because of crises in one ruling house. The judgement then said the government can proceed and work with the next ruling house which is Obaara. We are only obeying court orders.”