Tensions flared at a palace meeting in Ipetumodu, Osun State, on Tuesday as princes demanded that Governor Ademola Adeleke declare the stool of the Apetumodu vacant following the conviction of Oba Joseph Oloyede, the 27th Apetumodu, in the United States for COVID-19 loan fraud.
The monarch was sentenced to over four years in prison and ordered to pay $4.4 million in restitution, sparking a heated debate over the future of the throne.
The meeting, convened at 4 p.m. within the palace and chaired by the Asalu of Ipetumodu, Chief Sunday Adedeji, descended into chaos after a prince urged Adedeji, the most senior surviving kingmaker, to formally petition the governor to declare the throne vacant.
Adedeji rejected the proposal, insisting that peace must prevail before any such action. His refusal triggered a shouting match, leading to the meeting’s abrupt end by 6 p.m. without resolution.
Prince Olaboye Ayoola from the Aribile Ruling House voiced frustration over Adedeji’s stance. “We agreed to elect two new kingmakers to replace those deceased and to write to the governor about the vacancy, but Chief Adedeji shut it down.
He even said he’s done being a kingmaker. It caused total chaos,” Ayoola told The PUNCH. Adedeji, when contacted, confirmed his position, stating only, “It is true. Peace has to reign first,” before declining further comment.
Oba Oloyede’s legal troubles stem from a U.S. court ruling on August 26, 2025, where the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio detailed his role in defrauding COVID-19 loan programs under the CARES Act from April 2020 to February 2022.
The monarch, convicted alongside a co-conspirator, faces asset forfeiture in addition to his prison term, intensifying local calls for clarity on his status as Apetumodu.
The Osun State government has adopted a cautious approach. Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, stated that the state would first obtain a Certified True Copy of the U.S. judgment before deciding on the matter. “We need the full legal picture to act appropriately,” Babatunde said.
The dispute has deepened divisions among Ipetumodu’s two ruling houses, Aribile and Fagbemokun.
Some Aribile princes argue that the throne should remain with their house until Oloyede serves his sentence, citing precedent in Yoruba tradition.
Others, including contenders from the 2018 selection process that installed Oloyede, insist a replacement should be chosen from Aribile.
Meanwhile, Fagbemokun representatives are reportedly pushing for their turn, claiming the prolonged crisis justifies a rotation.
The unrest in Ipetumodu reflects broader challenges in balancing traditional rulership with modern legal accountability.
As the community awaits the state’s decision, the standoff underscores the delicate interplay of culture, law, and politics in Osun’s revered monarchies.
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