Plans to declare the Apetumodu throne vacant after the conviction of Oba Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede in the United States ended in confusion.
Princes of Ipetumodu met on Tuesday to discuss the monarch’s fate, but the gathering turned rowdy after some demanded that Governor Ademola Adeleke be asked to remove Oba Oloyede.
Oba Oloyede, the 27th Apetumodu, was recently sentenced to more than four years in a U.S. prison for COVID-19 loan fraud. He was also ordered to forfeit assets and repay over $4.4 million.
The meeting at the palace, led by Chief Sunday Adedeji, the Asalu of Ipetumodu, started peacefully. Trouble began when a prince asked him to officially write to the governor declaring the throne empty.
Chief Adedeji rejected the request and stepped aside from making any decision about the stool. His refusal sparked heated arguments among the princes, and the meeting ended in chaos.
Prince Olaboye Ayoola of the Aribile Ruling House later said they had agreed to appoint two new kingmakers and notify the governor, but Chief Adedeji blocked the plan and withdrew from his role, leaving the matter unresolved.
Chief Adedeji confirmed his decision, saying he chose peace over conflict and declined to make further comments.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Ohio confirmed that Oba Oloyede was sentenced on August 26, 2025, alongside a partner, for misusing COVID-19 relief funds between April 2020 and February 2022.
The conviction has unsettled Ipetumodu, with growing pressure on the Osun State Government to decide the future of the throne.
Osun Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dosu Babatunde, said the government would first obtain a certified copy of the U.S. court judgment before taking any action.
The two ruling houses in the town — Aribile and Fagbemokun — are now divided.
Some members of Aribile want the throne to remain with them until Oloyede completes his sentence, while others prefer to crown a new monarch from their family. Fagbemokun princes, however, insist it is their turn to produce the next Apetumodu.
