Osun family backs Adeleke’s resolution of 67-year-old chieftaincy tussle 

The Lagbua Family in Iragbiji, Osun State, has warned against any act that could lead to the disruption of public peace in the town.

This is just at it commended the state governor, Ademola Adeleke, for resolving an agelong chieftaincy dispute in the town.

Osun State Government, on Wednesday, disclosed that the State Executive Council had approved the White Paper on the report of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the Aragbiji of Iragbiji Chieftaincy Declaration.

The Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdulrosheed Olabomi, while reacting to the development, said the purported report of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Aragbiji Chieftaincy stool, was unknown to the town.

Olabomi declared that the attempt to smuggle an unknown family into the Aragbiji Chieftaincy Declaration was a deliberate act to plunge Iragbiji into crisis.

But Mr Adeleke Adeyemo, who spoke on behalf of Lagbua, at a press conference the family hosted in Iragbiji on Saturday, said Lagbua Family consisting of five compounds of Ajibolu (Ooye), Olupejobi, Oluode, Odogun, and Elemo Osho, was listed Number 2 on the first draft of Aragbiji Chieftaincy declaration of 1951.

Adeyemo added that the family was also confirmed in 1956 by the Ifelodun District Council through a letter dated Saturday, June 2, 1956 with a concluding paragraph that “Lagbua family will therefore remain on the declaration as a ruling house.”

He further said the family had in the past produced three heads of Iragbiji community that reigned at different times as Baale, noting that the Lagbua family was however removed from the declaration in 1958, but the family members did not know until 1968 when a new monarch was to be appointed for the town.

The legal practitioner recalled several previous failed attempts by the family to correct the anomaly, noting that the most recent was the one-man Judicial Panel of Enquiry into the Aragbiji of Iragbiji Chieftaincy declaration to include Lagbua Family as a ruling house, set up by ex-Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

“The panel did a thorough job, probing the documents and cross-examined the witnesses sent by the ruling houses. The panel concluded the enquiry and submitted its report on the 28th July 2010. The concluding paragraph of the report stated, ‘It is, therefore, my recommendation that Lagbua Family of Iragbiji be included as a ruling house in the Aragbuji of Iragbiji Chieftaincy declaration.’

“But the report was about to be approved by the State Executive Council and gazetted by the state government when the 2010 change in government occurred in Osun State.

“To our amazement, the government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola just wrote a letter to the family that the State Executive Council of the State of Osun at its meeting held on Wednesday 3rd April 2013 rejected the Lagbua Family as a ruling house without any basis.

“When the present government under the distinguished leadership of Senator Jackson Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke emerged, our family, through our lawyer, petitioned the Osun State Government on the rejection of Lagbua Family as a ruling house into the Aragbiji of Iragbiji Chieftaincy declaration in a letter dated 15th September 2023.

“The government, in her wisdom, did not act in a hurry, took its time to do due diligence and followed due process to look into the matter. The Government of Light (Imole) served justice on this matter and communicated the verdict after the State Executive Council meeting held on Wednesday, January 29th, 2025,” he said.

Describing the family as peace-loving, hence its decision to pursue its struggle for the throne in a peaceful manner, Adeyemo also said Lagbua family has not sought the removal of the current Aragbiji, Oba Olabomi.

He however urged on President Bola Tinubu, Adeleke and heads of security agencies in the state to call Oba Olabomi “To order as his actions and statements in his press conference held at his palace in Iragbiji yesterday, Friday 31st, January 2025 were full of treat to cause violence in Iragbiji and full of attacks on the Government and Governor of Osun State, for serving truth and justice.”