Mr. Olaboye Ayoola and Apostle Funsho Adeniji are two princes of Ipetumodu, a town in Osun State which is at a crossroads amid a royal controversy that has drawn national and international attention. Ayoola of the Aribile Ruling House and Adeniji of the Fagbemokun Ruling House, speak in separate interviews by SAHEED SALAWU on the recent jailing of their traditional ruler, Oba Joseph Oloyede, in the United States. They echo the sentiment that the integrity of the Ipetumodu throne has been compromised and a new Oba is urgently needed. The following are excerpts from the interviews.

Prince Ayoola, from Ile Elewa Compound in Aribile Ruling House, speaks on the rightfulness of the embattled monarch’s installation, his lineage, among other things.

Are you related to the late Oba Olaolu Ayoola, given that you also bear the name Ayoola?

He was my uncle. He was my father’s immediate younger brother.

What is the refrain of the townspeople on the jailing of their traditional ruler in the United States?

Since the jailed Oba, so-called, anyway, assumed the throne, peace and tranquility have eluded the town. If his chiefs wanted to see him, they had to make a written, official request. He spent one month at home and three to six months abroad. His wife was the one who attended traditional events. So, his wife has effectively been our indirect ruler.

Since his incarceration by the American government, contrary to some people’s expectations, there have been no crises in Ipetumodu. The people could not care less because they never wished for this type of Oba in the first place. However, there is now palpable tension in the land, as people are looking to us, the princes, to give them a new Oba, one that will bring peace and development to the town.

There are two ruling houses in Ipetumodu: Aribile and Fagbemokun. At the moment, there is tension among princes from both houses. Our stance in the Aribile Ruling House is that this is not a case of an Oba joining his ancestors, but rather a monarch going to jail. If the government decides to dethrone him for this sacrilege, the throne should rightfully return to us. But the Fagbemokun Ruling House claims that Aribile has already had its turn and that the throne should now go to them.

We held a meeting on Tuesday, where three key points were emphasized. First, the head of the kingmakers, Sunday Adedeji, also known as Chief Asalu, was asked to write a letter, signed by the elders and princes of the ruling houses, to the government declaring the Apetu stool vacant. Chief Asalu refused. He said he would not do such a thing until a copy of the judgment from America is made available. This did not sit well with all the princes. He also requested to be referred to only as Chief Asalu, stating that he was no longer interested in being a kingmaker. In response, we declared: ‘We, all princes, unanimously remove you, Sunday Adedeji, Chief Asalu, as a kingmaker in Ipetumodu,’ because we no longer have confidence in him.

The second resolution was that, until a new Oba is installed, the Ipetumodu Day celebration will be put on hold. Ipetumodu Day is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of November. We declared that this celebration is suspended until a new king is appointed.

My grandfather, Samson Ayoola Oyebode; my uncle, Oba Joseph Olaolu Ayoola; and my father, Titus Oyedokun Ayoola, who was the senior brother to Oba Joseph Ayoola, never told us that the Latimogun family, where the jailed Oba hails from, is a royal family. So, when Oloyede presented himself as a candidate for the throne, we asked for the name of his family house. When he mentioned Latimogun, we told him that it was not a royal house. He claimed it was an extension of the Kiaje Compound, which is a part of the Aribile Ruling House. We accepted his claim only after Kiaje confirmed it.

However, it later became unsettling that there was no clear trace of who his father was. Matters became more disturbing when, after his coronation, he adopted the regal name ‘Latimogun 1.’ That choice of name was considered a deception, meaning everything he had told us was a lie. Although the government presented him with a certificate and staff of office, the princes are the actual kingmakers in Ipetumodu.

There is a place called Boosa in Ipetumodu. That is where Oosa Aje, the deity that founded Ipetumodu, resides. It is also where the Fefe Efun crown is placed on a new oba’s head. The Apetu wears two crowns. On the day of his installation, he wears the Fefe Efun crown. During the Obi period, he wears the ade nla, Are (the big crown called Are).

On the day of his installation, no Aribile family member accompanied him to Boosa for Oro. As a result, he never set eyes on Boosa, the home of the deity. The word ‘Boosa’ is even part of our oriki.

For instance, my oriki goes like this: Omo Boosa laa b’oba a re. Ta ni o b’oba de’fe Ooni? Ta ni o b’oba de’fe Olojo?

What this means is that we are never made king from Ife; Boosa is where we become king.

But when he was installed, no Aribile prince followed him to Boosa because we knew he was not one of us. And if the Fefe Efun crown were to be placed on his head, it was possible he would not leave the place alive. To this day, nobody has administered the royal rites on him, so as not to be accused of murder. One of the root causes of the problems he has, and the issues in Ipetumodu, is that no royal rites were performed for him. He was also supposed to spend three months in Ilofi, but he left after just 21 days.

The practice in Yorubaland is that upon completion of the necessary rites, an Oba leaves Ipebi (which we call Ilofi in Ipetu) for the palace amid pomp and ceremony. But instead of a celebration, gunshots rang out from the house where he underwent Ilofi all the way to the palace, as if we were in a time of war.

All the princes folded their arms and watched to see what the ancestors would do. And the ancestors have taken a step. He had shunned all traditional festivals since assuming the throne about five years ago. He probably attended the Egungun Festival only once. He always delegated his wife to attend the events. All issues were brought before his Olori, who effectively directed the town’s affairs. She played the role of the traditional ruler.

The president’s wife uses the vehicle designated for her office when attending events, but the Olori used vehicles bearing the Apetu’s insignia. This shows how some of our traditions were trampled upon. The princes of Ipetumodu are not happy about any of this.

We, the princes, are appealing to the Osun State government to remove this jailed Oba immediately. The people of Ipetumodu are demanding a new traditional ruler so the town can move forward.

I also want the public to note this: Chief Sunday Adedeji, the Asalu of Ipetumodu, has repeatedly said that this Oba is responsible for the palace construction. That is not true. The convicted Oba is not the one building the Ipetumodu palace. The people of Ipetumodu are the ones funding the construction with their own money. He may have made a contribution, but he is not solely responsible for the project.

Have traditional rulers in Osun State intervened in this matter?

No, they have not, because the Osun State government is still waiting to receive a copy of the judgment from America. Besides, we have not formally notified the traditional rulers, they are merely following the developments via television and newspapers.

Have you formally tabled your demands before the government?

We have only made the demands known through the media, but we are preparing to write a letter and forward it to the government. The head of the kingmakers has declined to write the letter, so the senior princes will take on the responsibility of writing it and informing the state government.

What will be the implication for the image of your town if, at the end of the day, this Oba remains on the throne?

Since 1957, before Nigeria gained independence, during the era of the Western Region, and even in the old Oyo State, we have had a chieftaincy law that stipulates that an ex-convict has no right to occupy the traditional stool of a town. This does not apply to Ipetumodu alone. If a person who has been proven to have committed fraud and consequently sent to jail is allowed to return and rule over Ipetumodu, it will be a disgrace to the entire Yorubaland. It would mean that a person could be fraudulent and still be an Oba.

Are you the head of Ipetumodu princes or their spokesperson?

I am not the head of the princes. I am very young. But I am one of the brave ones from my father’s house.

How old are you?

By the grace of God, I will soon turn 64. The problem with Ipetumodu is that many of the other princes and the townspeople are not bold enough. They are afraid of being heard or even killed, so they choose to remain silent. But if all of us stay quiet, the damage that has been done will persist, and there will be no solution. I have spoken to many newspapers. Some princes and other individuals have accused me of being too invested in this matter, as if it were a personal issue. They say I should go underground and hide, but I refuse. I believe that as long as I am fighting for the right cause, God will protect me. Our national leader in the Aribile Ruling House is our father, Taiwo Ayoola, who is my elder brother.

How do you select an Oba in Ipetumodu? Is it through Ifa divination?

I have witnessed the installation of four kings in Ipetumodu and I actively participated in all of them. This is how it is done: the state government sends us a letter through the local government, giving us fourteen days to present a candidate. Then, the elders of the family whose turn it is to produce the king, whether Aribile or Fagbemokun, hold a meeting. After that, each compound is asked to present suitable candidates and Ifa (the Oracle) is consulted to choose one among them. The candidate chosen by Ifa is then selected by the elders, who present him to the kingmakers for ratification. So yes, it is Ifa who selects the Oba in Ipetumodu.

Was the Oba who is currently abroad made to go through this process?

Like I said, we had no prior knowledge of his existence or his parents. Some individuals with self-assigned influence, who have no ties to royalty, hijacked the process from us. The then IPU president was not a prince, yet he insisted that this man was their preferred candidate because he was wealthy. The then council chairman also backed him. They said they wanted to end the era of poor individuals becoming Oba in Ipetumodu and they imposed a new condition that a candidate must have a Master’s degree.

Chief Asalu, who is the Olori Omooba, even introduced a practice that was unprecedented in Ipetumodu’s history. He said that anyone who wished to be oba must first pay N250,000 to the palace as a form of development fee. That was used to disqualify some candidates.

In Osun State, when a new king is being appointed, the candidate pays N50,000 into the state’s purse and N25,000 into the local council’s purse. However, the then local council chairman raised the N25,000 fee to N500,000. He also added another condition: a prospective oba must buy land at the Osun State Low-cost Housing Estate in front of Akinola Market in Ipetumodu, along the Ibadan-Ife Expressway, at the rate of N2 million per plot and must develop the land quickly. As you can imagine, this was used to screen everyone out.

The kingmakers did not inform any prince, but went ahead to select Oloyede. Ifa did not choose him. We challenged his selection in court, but as you know, court judgments in Nigeria these days have become a money affair. People who were not princes selected him, which is why we refused to perform Oro for him.

So, he is now having problems because he failed to perform the Oro?

Yes. The ancestors are angry. Ipetumodu was founded with Ifa.

How?

The entire Yorubaland was founded with Ifa. For instance, Ose Meji founded Ibadan. There is a verse of Ifa that was used to found Ipetumodu. The town was not founded in the name of ‘Jesus’ or ‘Allah’. Therefore, Ifa must be consulted in the selection of a king. A king who did not emerge through Ifa and did not undergo the Oro rites will inevitably have problems. Even if the next king is not chosen by Ifa, he too will face similar issues.

What is your advice for the state and local governments as regards the appointment of the next Oba?

My advice to the state and local governments, and indeed all of Yorubaland, is that we must always follow our customs and traditions. A pastor may lie because he is the only one who claims to hear from God. An Alfa may lie because only he claims to hear from God. But Ifa will not lie and neither will Opele be untruthful. No matter what, the word of Ifa will come to pass.

My advice is that our governors and local council chairmen must act in accordance with the customs and traditions of each town. We must always follow the right paths to get the right results.

What is the place of money in all this?

It is because money has become the centre of everything that we are now facing problems across Yorubaland. My grandfather, Samson Ayoola Oyebode, was not a rich man before he became king, yet much of the development still enjoyed in Ipetumodu today is credited to his reign. It was during his time that Ipetumodu got a police station and a post office. The roads in Ipetumodu were tarred during his reign. The first secondary school was established in Ipetumodu under him. He was not wealthy when he became king, yet he was the first Ipetumodu monarch to enter the House of Chiefs in the Western Region. He built the Ipetumodu town hall and the old palace that was later demolished.

But the embattled oba also built some things…

He did not build anything. Since he assumed the throne, he has never passed a single night in the Apetu palace. He sleeps in his private residence. This is unprecedented in the history of Ipetumodu. The palace was demolished, and it is the people of Ipetumodu who are rebuilding it.

If you met Oba Oloyede, how would you advise him?

Whatever is not meant for someone should not be taken by force. One should trust in God for everything and be content.

Do you want to be king?

By the grace of God, I do. I am a prince.

But Oloyede comes from your ruling house, Aribile.

I hail from Ile Elewa Compound, but they say Oloyede is from the Latimogun Compound. And since this is not a case of death, what will happen is a replacement. It is only in the case of death that the stool passes to the Fagbemokun Ruling House. The elders will decide which family will produce the next king. (Saturday Tribune)