—-Government warrant chiefs pick Akinnadeju

— We only recognise Akingbaso as new monarch —Kingmakers

By Dayo Johnson Akure

Palpable tension enveloped the ancient Alade-Idanre in Ondo State, following the appointment of a new traditional ruler of Aladeokun of Alade-Idanre,Chief Ayo Akinnadeju, by some warrant chiefs recently appointed by the State Government.

Recall that the kingmakers in the town had met and formed the statutorily prescribed quorum in Section 9(1) of the Chiefs Law (which is half of them) and appointed Otunba Ademola Akinboro-Akingbaso from the Akinboro Family, whose turn it is to produce the next Aladeokun under the Aladeokun Chieftaincy Declaration.

A twist to the Obaship stool emerged when the state government, through the Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hamidu Takuro, announced after last week State Executive Council that the council had approved the appointment of warrant chiefs to appoint a new Aladeokun of Alade-Idanre.

Meanwhile, the warrant chiefs under heavy security provided by the state government, appointed Chief Ayo Akinnadeju as the new Aladeokun at a meeting boycotted by the original kingmakers.

Disturbed by the development, the Akinboro Family of the Lagokun Ruling House immediately instituted Suit HCAK/558/CIV/2025 against the State Government and the newly appointed warrant chiefs, claiming that their appointment violated the Chiefs Law of Ondo State and the Native law and Custom of Alade-Idanre.

Their suit was premised on the claim that the State Government was only permitted to appoint warrant chiefs under Section 9 of the Chiefs Law when the existing kingmakers could not form a quorum to appoint an Oba as a result of the death of some of them.

According to them “the kingmakers had already met, formed the statutorily prescribed quorum in Section 9(1) of the Chiefs Law (which is half of them) and appointed Otunba Ademola Akinboro-Akingbaso from the Akinboro Family, whose turn it is to produce the next Aladeokun under the Aladeokun Chieftaincy Declaration.

Speaking with newsmen following the appointment of another monarch for the town, the Lisa and Regent of Alade Idanre who also doubles as the Head of the Kingmakers, High Chief Oladipo Akinsowon, disowned the appointment of Akinnadeju by the warrant chiefs.

Akinsowon said he has been bombarded with calls from the sons and daughters of Alade-Idanre home and abroad and numerous other stakeholders over the situation in Alade-Idanre.

He declared that he and other traditional kingmakers were not part of the parallel appointment carried out by the warrant chiefs because they had initially appointed Otunba Ademola Akinboro-Akingbaso as the new Aladeokun and forwarded his name to the Government after performing the necessary traditional rites on him.

Akinsowon said that the government had neither communicated her approval or rejection of Otunba Ademola Akinboro-Akingbaso as the new Aladeokun before the warrant chiefs carried out the parallel appointment of another Aladeokun.

He described the state government action a serious desecration of the custom and tradition of Alade-Idanre which he and the other kingmakers were not ready to be part of.

Also reacting, the counsel to Otunba Ademola Akinboro-Akingbaso, Femi Emmanuel Emodamori, expressed the view that the latest action on the Aladeokun chieftaincy was another evidence of disrespect and disdain for judicial process and the rule of law by the Sstate government.

Emodamori said that “This government had proven again and again that it has no regard for judicial process, the Ondo State Judiciary, and the rule of law.

” There are at least three different suits before the Ondo State High Court over the Aladeokun Chieftaincy, and the State Government is a party in these cases.

“Two of the cases are challenging the eligibility of the same Chief Ayo Akinnandeju for appointment as Aladeokun on the ground that he does not belong to either the Akinboro or Akinbola Families which are the only two families constituting the Lagokun Ruling House that could produce the Aladeokun under the Aladeokun Chieftaincy Declaration, as contained in the Ondo State Government’s White Paper on Ajakaiye Chieftaincy Review Commission which was published in 1990”.

He noted that when the State Executive Council announced the appointment of warrant chiefs to carry out the appointment of Aladeokun on 30th December, 2025, his clients immediately instituted Suit HCAK/558/CIV/2025 against the State Government on 31st December, 2025, asking the Court to determine whether the appointment of the warrant chiefs was not illegal, since the traditional kingmakers had already appointed a new Aladeokun in line with the Chiefs Law and the native law and tradition of Alade-Idanre.

Emodamori said that the Deputy governor, the Attorney-General, the Commissioner for Chieftaincy and the warrant chiefs had all been served the new suit.

He lamented that “The state government trampled on the law. They trampled on the Court; and they trampled on peace, order and decency.

The lawyer declared that “We cannot allow hooliganism to be institutionalized in governance, but the current Attorney-General of the State seems to the bent on leading the State to that state of perfidy.

“I am sure they are comfortable that the entire Courts in Ondo State are shut due to the ongoing strike and they are enthusiastically taking advantage of that to perpetrate lawlessness. This is a huge joke. We will nullify their illegality through the instrumentality of the law.” he declared.