MICHAEL AKINOLA
The Kingship tussle in Ikirun town in Osun State has taken another dimension after the dethronement of Oba Olalekan Akadiri and the alleged bribery sandal trailing the Eesa of Ikirun, Abdulkareem Lawal, to install the Medical Director of Crystal Specialist Hospital Dr Lasunkanmi Adeyemi, as the new king.
P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the town has been thrown into more crisis over Dr Adeyemi’s alleged sums of money paid to Eesa of Ikirun, Prince Lawal, in order to support him to become the king having schemed out the Gboleru ruling house, which supposed to produce the next king of the town.
The fierce battle, which has thrown the community into tension, is between the six kingmakers who want the alleged stolen mandate returned to Gboleru ruling house, who is meant to produce the king initially with the Eesa of Ikirun, Chief Lawal on one hand. Then the deposed Oba Akadiri and his brother, Dr Adeyemi, who want to take the crown through Lawal by every means on the other hand.
Findings revealed that Ikirun town has three ruling families namely Obaara, Adedeji and Gboleru.
While Obaara had ruled before now, Adedeji had just finished and Gboleru is the next to produce the king before the alleged manipulation by the Obaara ruling house and produced the deposed Oba Akadiri.
The Obaara ruling house had nominated Akidiri and Adeyemi for the contest. The election was conducted by seven kingmakers led by Eesa Abdulkareem Adetoyese Lawal.
While Dr Adeyemi got only one vote from Eesa Abdulkareem Adetoyese Lawal, the other six kingmakers voted for Akidiri and was later installed as the king.
However, that did not go down well with Dr Adeyemi and Eesa Lawal, who were said to have mobilized some members of the community to dethrone Akadiri and his palace was shut.
The bone of contention is that the six kingmakers insisted that if there will be a new King, it must come from Gboleru ruling house because it is their turn to produce the king. But Eesa of Ikirun, Lawal is insisting that Dr Adeyemi must be the king in order to justify the huge sums of money he allegedly collected from him.
This has been causing tension in the town and the supporters of deposed Akadiri insisted that if another king will be installed, it must come from among the members of the Gboleru ruling house, who were cheated and manipulated at the initial stage.
When P.M.EXPRESS contacted Akidiri on phone, he confirmed that he was aware that Dr Adeyemi and Eesa Lawal were planning to install Dr Adeyemi as the new king.
He explained that there are ongoing litigations over the matter and stated that certainly Dr Adeyemi cannot be installed as the new king of the town.
The Head of Gboleru Ruling House, Prince Olawale Olatunji Gboleru, spoke on the matter and insisted that it was the turn of their ruling house to produce the king stating that they have qualified candidates to fill the space on the stool.
He stated that he was so surprised that Dr Adeyemi is the one abusing the system and causing crises in the town, whereas it was the gazette, which his late father laid down that the community has been following over the years.
He explained that the Obaara ruling house, where Adeyemi came from ruled the town from 1940 to 1989 and Adedeji ruling house ruled from 1990 till 2021 and Gboleru was the next to produce the king, but they created problem and manipulated the system because they had power and money.
“We have always supported the two ruling houses during their turns. Why are they doing this to us? They are the ones that created the problem for Gboleru ruling house. We are straight forward and simple; they are the problem because they have money and power” he stated.
It appears that there will be no end to the kingship crisis in Ikirun town until fairness, equity and justice are done by returning the kingship to Gboleru ruling house.