The appeal was conveyed by the monarch of Ifon-Osun in Osun State, Oba Peter Ipadeola, who visited Ifon-Omima on a peace mission aimed at reconciling the contestants and other stakeholders.
The Olufon stool became vacant following the death of Oba Israel Adeusi in 2020. However, disagreements over the succession process have prevented the community from installing a new traditional ruler.
Speaking during the visit, Ipadeola said the Ooni had sent him to help resolve the dispute, urging all those seeking the throne to put the collective interests of the community above personal ambitions.
“I am here at the behest of the Ooni of Ife, and he will be happy if I can resolve the issue and there is total peace in this town. He asked me to tell all the contestants to cooperate and give room for a peaceful resolution”.
The monarch warned that the prolonged absence of a traditional ruler could affect the community’s representation before government authorities and other traditional institutions.
“A town or community without a reigning king is in darkness and will be deprived of development and progress. There is nobody to fight and defend your cause in the council of Obas and demand your rights from the government,” Ipadeola added.
The Asuada of Ifon-Omima, Chief Tunde Eniolorunda, described the peace mission as an important opportunity to resolve the succession dispute and pave the way for the emergence of a new Olufon.
Eniolorunda urged the Ondo State Government to allow the selection process to proceed in accordance with the existing chieftaincy declaration, insisting that the exercise should be transparent and free from interference.
“The community is saying no. Follow the laid-down declaration. Let us have a king like any other town”.
He also renewed calls for an investigation into the killing of the late monarch, saying residents were still seeking answers about the circumstances surrounding his death.
“For the past six years now, we don’t have a king and we will not give up our demand for an investigation to unravel those behind the monarch’s murder,” Eniolorunda stated.
The President of the Ifon Improvement Forum, Major General Benjamin Badewole, said efforts to resolve the dispute began after the formation of the Olufon Memorial 2020 following Adeusi’s death.
According to Badewole, a five-member committee was subsequently established under his leadership to examine possible ways of resolving the succession crisis.
He said the committee consulted family heads, secretaries of the seven ruling houses and other stakeholders before recommending that the contest be opened to eligible contenders.
However, the state government rejected the proposal on the grounds that no existing chieftaincy declaration supported such an arrangement.
Badewole added that the forum’s executive later developed three possible options for resolving the dispute and submitted them to the state government on 14 February 2026, but had yet to receive a response.
He said the Ifon Association in America and the Ooni of Ife were subsequently approached to intervene, culminating in Ipadeola’s visit to the community.
Badewole urged all the contestants to set aside their differences and work towards an agreement that would restore peace and unity to Ifon-Omima.
“Permit me to appeal to all the contestants to close ranks, bury individual ambitions and allow us find a peaceful solution to the problem at hand,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Ifon Improvement Forum, he reiterated the need for the contenders to prioritise the community’s collective interests over their individual aspirations.
The intervention by the Ooni of Ife comes as community leaders continue to seek a resolution to the succession dispute, which has left the Olufon stool vacant since 2020.
Stakeholders have called for dialogue, adherence to the applicable chieftaincy declaration and a transparent process to enable the community to select a successor to the late monarch.
