Aroloye Royal family: The alleged scheme could lead to a breach of peace
— Govt is neutral – Commissioner
Palpable tension has gripped the agarian ldanre community, in ldanre council area of Ondo state, over the filling of the vacant stool of Owa of ldanre.
Remember that in December 2024, Oba Fredrick Adegunle Aroloye, the late Owa of Idanre, passed away and joined his ancestors.
In a letter to the state government, Dr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the family of the late monarch, Oba Aroloye, through their attorney, Akinyemi Omoware, asked that the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, summon the local government and chieftaincy commissioner, Alhaji Amidu Takuro, to order and adhere to the current Registered Chieftaincy Declaration of Owa of Idanre.
In the letter, Omoware stated that
The Ruling House informed the Ondo State Government about the death of Owa of Idanre, HRM Late Oba Fredrick Adegunle Aroloye, sometime in December 2024, and requested the government’s permission to start filling the vacancy left by the death. In response to the request, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, through a letter dated 4th June, 2025 with reference no: CD/C.4T/26 directed the Chairman, Idanre Local Government Area, Owena to communicate the Government approval to the Ruling House/Kingmakers to commence the process of selecting a new Owa of Idanre in line with the Registered Chieftaincy Declaration of Owa of Idanre and the Government White Paper on the Morgan Chieftaincy Review Commission of 1981.
The letter with its attached Registered Declaration and White Paper are attached for ease of reference.
The stool of Owa of Idanre has only one ruling house, known as the Owa’s House, according to the aforementioned Registered Declaration and the White Paper on the Morgan Chieftaincy Review Commission.
“By the combined effect of the Registered Declaration and the White Paper, an extant condition stated as qualification for eligible applicant for the stool of Owa of Idanre is that such person must be the Son of a previous holder of the title of Owa of Idanre.
The White Paper eliminates the other requirement mentioned in the Declaration.
According to the Chiefs Law’s rules, a simple majority of the 12 kingmakers recognized in the Declaration constitutes the kingmaker’s quorum.
“The Local Government is instructed to ensure that due process in accordance with the Registered Declaration and the provisions of the Chiefs Law are complied with, per the Government’s directive as expressed in the letter under reference.
The long-lasting peace that has existed in the old town of Idanre can only be maintained in accordance with this order.
“Mr. Governor, please be advised that certain government agents, specifically at the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, are conspiring with and/or providing undue support to one Mr. Kayode Aroloye with the intention of circumventing the provisions of the Registered Declaration, in violation of its clear, unambiguous, and seamless provisions.
“As stated in the Registered Declaration, Mr. Kayode Aroloye is not the son of any previous holder of the title of Owa of Idanre, so he is in no way qualified or eligible to participate and be appointed as Owa of Idanre. Therefore, our above position is appropriate.”
“Your Excellency, it is crucial to inform your government that, despite the aforementioned explicit and unambiguous condition, it is public knowledge that the Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs and Local Government is providing assurance and undue recognition to a non-eligible individual of Mr. Kayode Aroloye.
This one-time attempt to install an unfit candidate in the Ruling House could result in crises, a disturbance of the peace, and perhaps the collapse of law and order.
In our view, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs has an obligation, not a choice, to guarantee adherence to the current legislation; this includes the Government White Paper and the Registered Declaration regarding the stool of Owa of Idanre and the letter it issued that is mentioned above.
“Rather than adhering to this obligation, it is the opinion of our client that the Ministry is colluding with Mr. Kayode Aroloye to sideline the Registered Declaration and the White Paper; boycott the kingmakers preparatory to appointing warrant chiefs to circumvent the Registered Declaration.
“In carrying out this sinister motive, a faceless petition was written to the Ondo State Anti-Corruption Agency with a view to using its report to indict the kingmakers in other to pave the way for the appointment of warrant chiefs. The Chief Law finds this to be completely bizarre.
“Warrant chiefs are appointed to replace deceased kingmakers ONLY in cases where the current kingmakers do not form a quorum to carry out the selection process,” according to the Chiefs Law. Nine of the twelve kingmakers listed in the Registered Declaration are still alive and constitute a quorum to conduct the selection. Hence, it is needless, save for deceptive motive, to think of appointing warrant chiefs in the circumstance.
“Going by the above backdrop, it is apparent that any attempt by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs or any of her staff, agent or privies to circumvent the provisions of the law and the Registered Declaration on the Owa of Idanre stool will definitely cause unimaginable crises and breakdown of law and order in Idanre.
“It is needless to inform your Excellency that Idanre is a peaceful and law abiding community but however detest, abhor and will not condone any attempt to rewrite the history and tradition of the stool of Owa of Idanre.
The Ministry, which is legally tasked with upholding and enforcing the law, shouldn’t be perceived as breaking it.
In light of the aforementioned, we kindly request that your Excellency summon the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and instruct her to follow the current Registered Chieftaincy Declaration of Owa of Idanre.
“Only in this regard can enduring peace be sustained in Idanre,” the family stated. We have no doubt that your Excellency will uphold the rule of law and direct the Ministry to toe the same line accordingly.
In response, Alhaji Amidu Takuro, the commissioner of local government and chieftaincy affairs, refuted allegations that his ministry was trying to impose a monarch on the town, calling them “completely false and misleading.”
In response, Alhaji Amidu Takuro, the commissioner of local government and chieftaincy affairs, refuted allegations that his ministry was trying to impose a monarch on the town, calling them “completely false and misleading.”
“It is crucial to make clear that the state government does not, and cannot, impose anyone as king in any community,” Takuro stated. Such claims are nothing but cheap blackmail aimed at discrediting the authorities,”
“All the Princes who have shown interest have visited me in the office and I have directed all of them to the kingmakers, and if anybody is not eligible, it is for the kingmakers and not the government,” the Commissioner stated. We are not involved in the selecting process.
