The Chairman of the Council of Kingmakers in Oba-Ile, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Chief Oluwatimilehin Gbemisayo, has acknowledged irregularities in the suspended process to select a new Oloba of Oba-Ile.
Gbemisayo, who is also the Elemo of Oba-Ile, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akure on Tuesday, saying the council was awaiting a fresh directive from the state government to commence a new selection process.
He said the traditional stool became vacant following the death of the Oloba of Oba-Ile on May 9, 2025, adding that the official rites announcing the monarch’s death had been completed before the state government approved the commencement of the succession process in June 2026.
According to him, the community’s chieftaincy declaration stipulated that the next Oloba should emerge from the Elegbeje-Edo ruling house, as the late monarch came from the Akayedo ruling house.
Gbemisayo said five eligible princes from the Elegbeje-Edo ruling house expressed interest in the stool and were screened by the kingmakers.
They were Rena Fagoroyo, Busuyi Bayodo, Odunayo Omodara, Gbadebo Adeusi and Kola Omodara. However, he said the process was suspended following protests by some indigenes, who alleged that due process was not followed and that some critical stakeholders were excluded.
He added that protesters also complained that part of the exercise that ought to have been held in Oba-Ile was conducted at the Akure North Local Government Secretariat in Itaogbolu.
He further disclosed that the traditional divination conducted during the exercise produced conflicting outcomes, with the Ifa Oracle initially identifying one candidate before selecting another during a subsequent exercise at the local government headquarters.
Gbemisayo said the development caused confusion among the kingmakers and was reported to the state government. He added that each of the five contestants had paid N5 million for nomination forms, but the money was later refunded following a petition and a directive from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Before the process was suspended, a vote by the six-member Council of Kingmakers gave Odunayo Omodara three votes, Gbadebo Adeusi two votes and Kola Omodara one vote.
Gbemisayo said the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs had summoned the kingmakers after the protests and informed them that the selection process had been nullified. He said the ministry was expected to communicate through the local government on the commencement of a fresh exercise, but the council was still awaiting the directive.
He appealed to youths and residents of Oba-Ile to remain calm and patient, assuring them that the next selection process would be conducted transparently and witnessed by all concerned stakeholders.
