Oyo Monarch Raises Fresh Alarm Over Alleged Plot to Remove Him as Aresaadu of Iresaadu

The Aresaadu of Iresaadu in Surulere Local Government Area of Oyo State, Oba Abraham Olafimihan Adeyeye Oyerinde, has raised a fresh alarm over an alleged move to remove him from the throne and install another monarch while he remains in office.

Oba Oyerinde made the allegation in a letter addressed to the Acting Governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Lawal, in which he urged the state government to halt what he described as an attempt to produce a “parallel Aresaadu.”

According to the monarch, the alleged move is being coordinated through the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, headed by Commissioner Ademola Ojo.

Oyerinde claimed that the ministry issued a fresh directive in September 2026 to the Chairman of Surulere Local Government, asking him to instruct the Emiolu Ruling House to nominate a candidate for the Aresaadu stool despite his continued occupation of the throne.

“The Ministry has just issued a fresh letter in September 2026 to the Chairman of Surulere Local Government, directing him to instruct Emiolu Ruling House to nominate a candidate for appointment as a parallel Aresaadu while I am still on the throne,” the monarch said in the letter.

He appealed to the Acting Governor to intervene and stop the meetings reportedly being held by the local government and the Emiolu Ruling House to select another candidate.

Oyerinde maintained that the stool had not been declared vacant by any court of competent jurisdiction and questioned the basis for commencing another selection process.

The monarch said he was nominated by the Osunbiyi Ruling House, after which his nomination was approved by government-appointed kingmakers. He added that his appointment was subsequently approved by the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who presented him with the instrument of office and staff of office in May 2019.

The latest dispute is part of a longstanding disagreement over the Aresaadu stool involving the Osunbiyi and Emiolu ruling houses.

Earlier in 2026, representatives of Iresaadu indigenes and the monarch’s legal team had also called on Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene in the dispute, alleging that the government had withheld the monarch’s official recognition and entitlements. Reports at the time also indicated that the Emiolu family maintained that it was entitled to produce the monarch, while the Osunbiyi side insisted that Oba Adeyeye remained the legitimate occupant of the stool.

The monarch’s latest petition therefore marks a renewed escalation of the disagreement, coming after previous appeals over his recognition and the alleged moves to begin a fresh process for the stool.

Oba Oyerinde further stated that his emergence followed an earlier judicial process concerning the succession to the Aresaadu throne. He said his nomination by the Osunbiyi Ruling House was consistent with the applicable ruling-house arrangement and was subsequently approved by the relevant authorities.

He urged the Acting Governor to prevail on the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to withdraw the alleged directive and prevent any action that could result in the emergence of a second claimant to the throne.

“I, Oba Adeyeye, was nominated by Osunbiyi Ruling House. My nomination was approved by the kingmakers appointed by the government. The appointment of Oba Adeyeye was approved by the Governor, and I was given the instrument of office in May 2019.”

The renewed dispute comes after several years of disagreement over the traditional stool. In 2024, the monarch had also complained publicly about the non-payment of his salary and other entitlements and alleged that another candidate was being prepared to take over the throne.

In June 2026, his counsel again appealed to Governor Makinde to resolve the recognition dispute, claiming that the monarch’s appointment had been approved by the state government in 2019 and that efforts were being made to nominate another candidate.

The latest allegations, however, remain claims by the monarch. No response from the Oyo State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Commissioner Ademola Ojo or the Surulere Local Government Chairman was included in the material available for this report.

TheNaijaWide will update the report if the Oyo State Government provides an explanation for the alleged September 2026 directive or responds to Oba Oyerinde’s petition.