By Our Reporter
There was a fresh twist on Thursday in the protracted Obaship crisis rocking Alade-Idanre in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State as some warrant chiefs recently appointed by the state government, under heavy security presence, declared that they had appointed Chief Ayo Akinnadeju as the new Aladeokun of Alade-Idanre.
The development followed an earlier decision of the Ondo State Executive Council, announced on December 30, 2025, by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Amidu Takuro, approving the appointment of warrant chiefs to facilitate the selection of a new Aladeokun.
However, the move immediately attracted legal opposition from the Akinboro Family of the Lagokun Ruling House, which on December 31, 2025 instituted Suit No. HCAK/558/CIV/2025 against the Ondo State Government and the newly appointed warrant chiefs.
The family contended that the appointment of the warrant chiefs contravened the Chiefs Law of Ondo State as well as the native law and custom of Alade-Idanre.
According to the plaintiffs, Section 9 of the Chiefs Law only empowers the government to appoint warrant chiefs where existing kingmakers are unable to form a quorum for the purpose of selecting an Oba due to the death of some of their members.
They argued that the statutory condition did not arise in Alade-Idanre, as the recognised kingmakers had already met, formed the required quorum of half of their membership as prescribed by Section 9(1) of the law, and duly appointed Otunba Ademola Akinboro-Akingbaso of the Akinboro Family, whose turn it is to produce the Aladeokun under the Aladeokun Chieftaincy Declaration.
Despite the pending suit, the warrant chiefs reportedly met at a session boycotted by the original kingmakers and announced the appointment of Chief Ayo Akinnadeju as Aladeokun, a development that has further heightened tension in the community.
Reacting to the development, the Lisa and Regent of Alade-Idanre, who is also the head of the kingmakers, High Chief Oladipo Akinsowon, said he had been inundated with calls from indigenes of Alade-Idanre at home and in the diaspora, as well as other stakeholders, over the unfolding situation.
Speaking to reporters from his Idanre residence, he clarified that neither he nor other traditional kingmakers participated in the parallel appointment conducted by the warrant chiefs.
He maintained that the recognised kingmakers had earlier appointed Otunba Ademola Akinboro-Akingbaso as Aladeokun in accordance with the law and tradition of Alade-Idanre, performed the necessary rites and forwarded his name to the state government.
The regent noted that the government had neither approved nor rejected the nomination before the warrant chiefs proceeded to make a fresh appointment, which he described as a grave desecration of Alade-Idanre custom and tradition.
Also reacting, counsel to Otunba Ademola Akinboro-Akingbaso, Mr Femi Emodamori, described the latest development as a further demonstration of what he called the Ondo State Government’s disregard for judicial process and the rule of law.
He said there were at least three different suits pending before the Ondo State High Court over the Aladeokun chieftaincy, all of which involved the state government as a party.
Emodamori disclosed that two of the cases were challenging the eligibility of Chief Ayo Akinnadeju on the grounds that he does not belong to either the Akinboro or Akinbola families, the only two families constituting the Lagokun Ruling House empowered to produce the Aladeokun under the Aladeokun Chieftaincy Declaration, as contained in the state government’s White Paper on the Ajakaiye Chieftaincy Review Commission published in 1990.
He further stated that following the announcement of the appointment of warrant chiefs on December 30, 2025, his clients promptly approached the court on December 31, seeking a determination on the legality of the warrant chiefs’ appointment in view of the prior selection of a new Aladeokun by the traditional kingmakers in line with the Chiefs Law and native law and custom.
He added that the Deputy Governor, the Attorney-General, the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs and the warrant chiefs had all been duly served with court processes.
Alleging abuse of process, the lawyer said the government had acted in defiance of the courts, accusing it of taking advantage of the ongoing judicial strike in the state to perpetrate what he termed lawlessness.
He insisted that the purported appointment would be challenged and nullified through legal means, stressing that peace, order and respect for the rule of law must prevail in the resolution of the Aladeokun chieftaincy dispute.
