Following the revisitation and acceptance by Governor Ademola Adeleke-led government of Osun State during its Executive Council’s meeting on Wednesday, 2025, of a 2010 Judicial Panel Reports on the Aragbiji Chieftaincy declaration for its lack of merit of credibility and validity, the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi Odundun IV has vehemently criticised the decision of the state government with a strong warning to the governor to rescind his government’s malicious decision.
Addressing a press conference in his palace Friday afternoon, the monarch referenced a letter, Ref. No. CD.4/1/Vol.IX837 dated 25th April, 2013, which was issued by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola-led government, as well as the Osun State Gazette No. 7, Vol. 23 of 4th April, 2013, on a one-man Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Aragbiji Chieftaincy, adding the same state government that approbated by confirming the subsistence of the Aragbiji Chieftaincy in 2013 cannot reprobate the same legally concluded matter in 2025.
“This press conference is to ventilate the displeasure and consequential rejection of the Osun State Government Executive Council’s decision at its meeting held on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, wherein the body was said to have accepted the report of a Judicial Panel on the Aragbiji Chieftaincy, which is unknown to Aragbiji, the Four Ruling Houses of Ajibode, Osungbemi, Arowodoye, and Ogunmolu, and the Law.”
“The present step taken by Governor Ademola Adeleke is a suspect, as it appears the Governor is interested in destroying the peace in Iragbiji, or there is an orchestrated plan to make Iragbiji another crisis-ridden community in the State.”
“With the benefits of our introspection, we tend to suspect that there are mischief-makers who decided to make this Governor run against Iragbiji and her people in order to settle political scores. After all, the Government has all the while been showing unfriendly attitude to Iragbiji.”
“As far as it is known to law, there is no Judicial Report on Aragbiji Chieftaincy. There was a report which was consigned to the dust bin of history by a properly constituted and legally empowered State Executive Council presided over by Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola on Wednesday, 3rd April, 2013.”
“Consequent upon the White Paper (Gazette) published by the then Aregbesola-led Government and its position, we hereby demand that the State Executive Council’s decision presided over by Governor Ademola Adeleke on January 29, 2025, on a purported Judicial Inquiry into the Aragbiji Chieftaincy, which was reported to have been accepted, be reversed.”
“Therefore, we call on well-meaning and peace-loving people of Osun State and Nigeria to prevail on Governor Ademola Adeleke, to reverse his intention to cause unrest in Iragbiji”, the monarch said.