Iresaadu: Emiolu ruling house takes bold step, drags ‘self-proclaimed’ monarch to court
Yinka ADETUNJI
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Oyo state former attorney general, Barrister Michael Lana has been assigned by the Emiolu ruling house of Iresa-Adu, and have filed a lawsuit against Prince Oyerinde Adeyeye of Oshunbiyi ruling house, who is currently parading himself as the Oba of the ancient town of Iresa-Adu, Surulere local government area of Oyo state, a development baffling some people of the town.
The legal counsel with wealth of experience filed a case in August to in his words finally put an end to the alleged injustice against Emiolu ruling house for the last 6 years.
According to The counsel, “The Oshunbiyi Ruling House have now produced two(2) Aresa-Adu in succession in total violation of the Aresa-Adu of Iresa-Adu Chieftancy Declaration. The Oshunbiyi are again currently attempting to produce the third (3rd) Aresa-Adu in succession. This is complete injustice to the Emiolu Ruling House and the theatrical circus must stop”.
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The lawsuit filed by the Emiolu ruling house alleged foul play and claimed a politically motivated Obaship certificate issued to Prince Oyerinde Adeyeye during the administration of the former governor of Oyo state, ex-Gov Abiola Ajimobi to become the Aresa-Adu did not comply with any due process of Aresa-Adu Chieftaincy declaration.
According to the Aresa-Adu Chieftaincy declaration, candidates contesting for the throne from a ruling house should have their names submitted through the leadership of their ruling house to the kingmakers. In the declaration, there are seven(7) kingmakers namely; The Baara of Iresa-Adu, Balogun of Iresa-Adu, Jagun of Iresa-Adu, Aare Ago of Iresa-Adu, Ikolaba of Iresa-Adu, Abese of Iresa-Adu, and Iyalode of Iresa-Adu; who must then determine a suitable candidate to be the Oba, Aresa-Adu of Iresa-Adu.
There are two (2) ruling houses according to the Gazzete of the Aresa-Adu Chieftaincy Declaration, Emiolu and Oshunbiyi. The throne is rotational between these two (2) ruling houses.
Recall that the most recent Aresa of Iresa-Adu, Oba Jimoh Oloyede, who passed on in 2018 was from Oshunbiyi ruling house. It’s believed the throne rotates between the two, however, it’s claimed Ex Governor Ajimobi led administration wrote to Oshunbiyi ruling house to produce Aresa-Adu again. No action was taken by Oshunbiyi ruling house to nominate any candidate at the time. The Oshunbiyi family did not forward any name to the kingmakers as they were equally shocked as to why they received another letter from the government and not Emiolu ruling house.
However, in that 2019, Prince Oyerinde Adeyeye from Oshunbiyi was installed as the new Aresa-Adu of Iresa-Adu. All seven kingmakers (Afobaje) were alive in 2019 and they did not take part in any selection process. That move by Prince Oyerinde Adeyeye it’s alleged undermines the sovereignty of the Aresa-Adu throne, and that it carpeted the duties of the legal kingmakers of Aresa-Adu.
In what is regarded as a circus, some family members from the same Oshunbiyi ruling house who were previously reluctant to partake in name submission or nomination in order not to deprive Emiolu ruling house their right to produce Aresa-Adu, are now said to have begun to mount pressure on the government to remove Prince Oyerinde Adeyeye but to have their names considered instead, if the government chooses to dismiss the Chieftancy Declaration and insist on having Oshunbiyi produce a third (3rd) Aresa-Adu in succession. There is a general consensus by both ruling houses, it’s found out, that Prince Oyerinde Adeyeye, did not follow any due process and is not fit to be Aresa-Adu of Iresa-Adu.
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All seven kingmakers published a signed letter in 2020 to the Oyo state government that the next ruling house to produce Aresa-Adu of Iresa-Adu is the Emiolu ruling house.
Furthermore in 2021, a joint statement was issued by all leaders of Iresa-Adu, the Mogajis of the two (2) ruling houses, Prince Fowomola Olanipekun (Mogaji of Emiolu), Prince Raji Oloyede (Mogaji of Oshunbiy), and all seven (7) kingmakers (Afobaje) that Prince Oyerinde Adeyeye was not to be recognized as the Aresa-Adu, as he was never nominated by his family, neither is it his family’s turn to enthrone Aresa-Adu.
According to investigations, Iresa-Adu community, resisted when Prince Adeyeye Oyerinde attempted to parade himself as Aresa-Adu in June 2019 by rioting against him, his entourage, drummers, etc. This was widely circulated on all national news media platforms in 2019.
One of the elders in the town who however pleaded anonymity, said; “Oyo state government created this problem for us. We just woke up one day in June 2019 and saw some people coming into town in a carnival-like fashion, and they started proclaiming Adeyeye as the new Aresa. The youths were not finding it funny and resisted the move. It took the intervention of the police before normalcy returned to this town. This was because there was no process that chose him. He went to obtain an illegal certificate from Ibadan and decided to come and proclaim himself as our king. We have laws governing Oyo state, and no one is above that law. He is not even from the next ruling house, which should be Emiolu. That is why the town is backing the Emiolu family for justice to prevail. Even when our forefathers never had a Chieftaincy Declaration, the throne rotated between both families peacefully without the existence of a government intervention. Since history and tradition was not destroyed during the times of our forefathers, it shall not be destroyed during our own time”.
Some other members of the Emiolu ruling family also stated, “Please help us appeal to Governor Seyi Makinde to correct this error made by his predecessor Ex-Gov Ajimobi administration.
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“Governor Makinde should use his executive power to withdraw the illegal certificate that Prince Adeyeye Oyerinde is carrying around, and write to our family (Emiolu) to produce the next Aresa. Even the Oshunbiyi ruling house agrees that it is our turn. It is only the Prince Adeyeye faction of the Oshunbiyi family that is against us because of their selfish interest.
“The town is suffering a lot of setback as a result of this too. Please help us beg the governor to correct past mistakes, so that his name can pass down in our town’s history.
“His Excellency, Engr Seyi Makinde should treat this as a matter of priority and stop the individuals playing politics with one of the most revered throne in Oyo state and in Yorubaland.”
