Eruwa chieftaincy tussle: Laribikusi ruling house faults Oyo government over appointment of traditional ruler

The crisis rocking the ancient town of Eruwa in Ibarapa east LGA, Oyo state, over the appointment of a new Eleruwa on Wednesday took a new turn, as members of one of the contesting ruling houses, Laribikusi have insisted that it is their turn to produce the next traditional ruler.

Seyi Makinde, the governor of Oyo, had on March 6 presented staff of office to Adebayo Adegbola of Akalako ruling house as the new Eleruwa of Eruwaland.

However, the Laribikusi ruling house faulted the process, noting that it is not the turn of Akalako ruling house.

The state government had during the announcement of Adegbola as the new Eleruwa in a statement by Dotun Oyelade, the commissioner for information and orientation, said that Laribikusi ruling house was unable to submit name of its candidate as stipulated in section 15(1) of Chiefs Law Cap 28 of Oyo state.

Oyelade said the governor by his discretion after due consideration facilitated Akalako ruling house as the next to nominate candidate and after thorough selection, the Eruwa Kingmakers unanimously selected Adegbola.

Addressing a news conference on Wednesday in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, the Laribikusi ruling house, speaking through its secretary, Abolade Ijaola, said the state government did not give them any stipulated time to produce their candidate.

He said that government lied against Laribikusi ruling house because of its interior motives, arguing that the  Akalako ruling house produced the last Eleruwa, the late Oba Bolanle Olaniyan.

Ijaola said Eruwa tradition and Eleruwa chieftaincy declaration of 1958 recognised two ruling houses, which are Laribikusi and Akalako, which should be rotational.

“Our request is that the nomination process should be return back to Laribikusi ruling house and we will approach the court if government think nobody can query it,” he said.

“We believe that we have the obligation to respond to a statement credited to the commissioner for information, Prince Dotun Oyelade that Laribikusi ruling house was unable to present candidates within the fourteen day-notice given to them by the government.

“And that as a result, government had to shift the nomination process back to Akalako ruling house which was the ruling house that produced the last recognised Eleruwa, late Oba Bolanle Olaniyan (Gbajumola II).

“This narrative from the government can be best described with a proverbial saying that ‘If you want to hang a dog, you give that dog a bad name.”

Ijaola said after many court cases and intrigues that pervaded the ascendancy to Eleruwa throne from 1995 to 2019 when the supreme court made a final pronouncement on the matter, Laribikusi was ready to present a candidate to fill the vacant throne.

“We are here to tell the whole world that only message we received from government of Oyo state through Ibarapa east local government was an invitation sent to each of the section within Laribikusi ruling house for a meeting with the “Management of Ibarapa east local government on 4th November 2024. This letter was dated November 1st, 2024,” he said.

“The message was signed by the local government Chairman, Hon. Kazeem Arogundade and the invitation letter did not contain the agenda of that meeting.

“We all reported to the local government secretariat on November 4th, 2024, to honour that invitation.

“At that meeting, the chairman informed our representatives to present the eldest member of Laribikusi as required by the Eleruwa chieftaincy declaration (1958) for the nomination process to fill the vacant stool of Eleruwa to kick off.

“Unfortunately, that nomination process never commenced as it was truncated by the same local government before its birth.”

Ijaola said that Laribikusi ruling house on January13 presented the name of Oladejo Akinlade as the eldest member of the family to Ibarapa east LGA, adding that the letter was received and signed by the Personal Assistant to Arogundade.

“To our surprise, we received a letter dated 30th December 2024 from the local government on January 7th, 2025, stating that they have compiled a report of the unsuccessful meetings with Laribikusi ruling house and have forwarded same to the state government for further directives which will be communicated back to us,” he said.

“No further communication received from the management of Ibarapa east local government till date.

“Furthermore, management of Ibarapa east local government had not explained to us what they meant by “unsuccessful meeting.”

Ijaola said Laribikusi ruling house was unaware that government was secretly planning to return the nomination back to Akaloko ruling house.