The kingmakers in Alade- Idanre in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State have said none of the obaship contestants had been chosen to be a king in the agrarian community.
They added that the community’s customs and traditions will be duly followed in the process of electing another monarch.
The traditional stool of the community became vacant following the demise of Oba Olusegun Akinbola who joined his ancestors 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.”
According to him, the latest judgment of the Ondo State High Court has directed the kingmakers to abide by traditional ways of installing 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 noted that nobody had been approved by the courts nor by the kingmakers, saying that anyone that must rule the community must belong to one of the two ruling houses which are: the Akinbola and Akinboro.
Also speaking, the Secretary of the Youths Association in Alade-Idanre, Mr Adewale Akinrinlola, said that youths in the community were glad that the kingmakers had resolved to fill the vacant stool, stating that their eagerness was to have a new king for the development of the community.
