Kingmakers of the Oniroko stool under the Akinyele Local Government Traditional Council have appealed to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, to expedite the installation of a new monarch for Iroko town.
The appeal was made during a media briefing where members of the Oniroko Council of Chiefs expressed concern over the prolonged vacancy of the traditional stool.
Those who addressed journalists included the Balogun of Iroko, Chief Jacob Adetunji; the Iyalode of Iroko, Chief Silifat Ibiwunmi Yusuf; the Ekerin Oniroko, Chief Isiaka Adeleke of Dakeja Village; and the Secretary of the Oniroko-in-Council, Dr. Moshood Abioye.
Speaking on behalf of the kingmakers, Chief Adetunji stated that the community urgently requires a traditional head to provide leadership and stability.
He disclosed that the Abioye family had reached a consensus and presented Prince Obasola Adeyemi as its nominee for the revered stool.
According to him, the candidate’s name has already been forwarded to the appropriate authorities at the local government level for ratification.
Chief Adeleke further clarified that the head of the Opeola family, Professor Abioye, formally submitted the name of Prince Obasola Adeyemi Opeola to the kingmakers following a joint family decision, adding that the council of chiefs conducted due screening of the nominee in line with established procedures.
The council secretary, Dr. Abioye, emphasized that the kingmakers strictly adhered to the provisions of the 1959 Declaration governing the selection process, which culminated in the emergence of Prince Adeyemi as the sole nominee for the Oniroko stool.
Echoing the call for swift action, Chief Yusuf urged Governor Makinde and Oba Ladoja to facilitate the installation process without further delay, stressing the importance of safeguarding the integrity of the process against external interference.
The traditional council maintained that timely government intervention would restore full traditional leadership to Iroko and reinforce peace and administrative stability within the community.
