Kingmakers in Ifo have been warned to respect tradition in the ongoing selection process for a new Olu of Ifo following the death of Oba Samuel Atanda Oladipupo on October 8, 2025.
According to a post by concerned citizens on Facebook, the authors alleged that “a calamity is waiting to happen” in the ancient town and urged authorities to intervene before a final decision is made on the vacant stool.
The statement claimed that several respected indigenes, including Prince Saheed Tinuosho, Olufela Dipeolu, Adisa Adebesin, Olusoji Fasanya and Adeolu Sobogun, are among those who have shown interest in the throne.
However, the authors alleged that kingmakers were considering another candidate, Olumide Osunsina, whose eligibility they questioned.
The post alleged that, Osunsina’s father was a customary tenant in Ifo and thereby has no right over the sons of the soil presented as heir to the throne.
According to the Facebook post, “the kingmakers are about to make a generational error” and “rewrite our history by making a total stranger the king ahead of more qualified and more competent indigenes of Ifo.”
The post specifically named the Balogun of Ifo Land, Chief Adisa Adeyemi; the Otun of Ifo Land, Chief Mutiu Ogunjimi; the Osi of Ifo Land, Soliu Olalekan; the Ekerin of Ifo Land, Chief Dende Adelanwa; and the Jagunmolu of Ifo Land, Chief Olatunji Adebayo.
The authors alleged that these kingmakers had been “compromised and ready to sell the revered throne of Olu of Ifo to a total stranger.”.
The statement also called on Governor Dapo Abiodun and the Alake of Egbaland to intervene, arguing that a timely response could prevent tension in the community.
“The entire Ifo rejects the candidacy of Olumide Osunsina as a traditional ruler in Ifo,” the post stated.
