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The Digest:

Kingmakers in Ipetumodu, Osun State, have rejected calls to dethrone Oba Joseph Oloyede, the Apetumodu, sentenced to U.S. imprisonment for fraud, triggering a heated dispute among ruling houses and princes. The state government awaits official court documents before intervening in the escalating chieftaincy crisis.

Key Points:
  • Oba Oloyede was sentenced to over four years in a U.S. prison for COVID-19 loan fraud
  • Senior kingmaker Chief Sunday Adedeji refused to declare the throne vacant, causing a chaotic meeting
  • Princes from the Aribile and Fagbemokun ruling houses are divided on succession
  • The Osun government will review a Certified True Copy of the U.S. judgment before acting
  • Security was heightened with DSS presence during the tense gathering
  • Some princes argue the throne should remain with the Aribile House despite the scandal
  • Opposing factions demand rotation to Fagbemokun House for a new monarch
The stalemate reflects deeper tensions between traditional norms and modern accountability in Nigeria’s monarchical system

Sources: The Punch