The National President of Ipetumodu Progressive Union (IPU), Dr. Israel Akinjogbin, has appealed for calm as tension brews in Ipetumodu, Osun State, over the fate of the town’s throne following the conviction of its monarch in the United States.
Oba Joseph Oloyede, the 27th Apetumodu of Ipetumodu, was recently sentenced to over four years in prison for COVID-19 loan fraud, with a U.S. court also ordering him to forfeit assets and pay $4.4 million in restitution.
The development has deepened divisions among the town’s royal lineages.
At a meeting on Tuesday, Olaboye Ayoola of the Aribile Ruling House urged senior kingmaker Sunday Adedeji to notify Governor Ademola Adeleke and demand that the stool be declared vacant.
But Adedeji refused, a move that sparked heated exchanges and forced the meeting to end abruptly.
The crisis has now split the two ruling families.
The Aribile lineage insists the throne should remain with them until the convicted monarch completes his jail term, while the Fagbemokun family argues that tradition dictates the crown should pass to their house.
To calm rising tempers, Dr. Akinjogbin reminded residents that while the conviction is “unthinkable to many,” they must distinguish between “legal proceedings abroad and peace at home.”
He urged citizens to remain law-abiding and avoid actions that could disturb the town’s long-standing peace.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Government has said it will not act until it obtains a Certified True Copy of the U.S. judgment, stressing that it will not rely on social media reports.