Osun govt approves new Akire of Ikire, three other monarchs

By Sunday Oguntuyi

The Osun State Government has approved the appointment of Prince Tajudeen Olanrewaju as the new Akire of Ikire, following the demise of Oba Olatunde Falabi, Lambeloye III, on February 27, 2026.

The approval was announced in a statement issued on Friday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Hon. Kolapo Alimi, after the State Executive Council meeting held in Osogbo.

According to the statement, the meeting, presided over by Governor Ademola Adeleke, considered and approved a memorandum submitted by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs regarding the vacant stool.

The council subsequently endorsed the recommendations contained in the memo in line with extant laws and the terms of settlement earlier agreed upon by the five ruling houses in Ikire.

The government recalled that the Akire stool had generated controversy in 2021 following the Supreme Court judgment of 2014, which affirmed that the Lambeloye Ruling House that produced the late Oba Falabi had no legal right to occupy the throne when the vacancy occurred in 1987.

The crisis that followed prompted the Osun State Government, in collaboration with the five ruling houses of Ikire, to initiate steps toward resolving the dispute.

As part of the resolution, stakeholders jointly agreed to amend the 1958 Akire Chieftaincy Declaration, which paved the way for the Aketula Ruling House to produce the next monarch whenever the stool becomes vacant.

Following the latest approval, Prince Tajudeen Olanrewaju from the Aketula Ruling House has now emerged as the new Akire of Ikire.

In the same meeting, the State Executive Council also approved the appointment of Prince Tijani Feyi Ademola as the Aladodo of Adodo in Atakumosa East Local Government Area.

Similarly, Prince (Dr.) Jacob Adetayo Haastrup was approved as the new Olumobi of Imobi-Ijesa, also in Atakumosa East Local Government Area.

The council further approved the elevation of additional traditional rulers from the Ife, Osogbo, and Ijesa traditional councils.

The state government said the approvals were part of ongoing efforts to strengthen traditional institutions and ensure the smooth administration of chieftaincy matters across the state.