Royal Tussle Looms in Ijesa Kingdom as Ofokutu Royal family challenges Haastrup’s Coronation

Palpable royal tussle and internal crisis is currently threatening the peace, stability and tranquility of Ilesha, a renowned cultural and industrial town in Osun State.

Information made available to the
media affirmed that the choice of Prince Clement Adesuyi Haastrup from the Bilaro Oluodo Ruling House as successor to the now late Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, as the 40th Owa Obokun of Ijesa land is being vehemently challenged by the The Ofokutu Royal Family.

Additionally, the Ofokutu ruling house has also filed a suit against the installation of Prince Clement Haastrup, a former deputy governor of Osun State who served under the administration of the late Isiaka Adeleke, elder brother to the incumbent governor, Senator Ademola Jackson Adeleke at the court of law.

However, as a thoroughbred investigative media organization, we conducted a survey about the issue with one of the traditional and royal think tanks who is a stakeholder in the schemes of this matter. It was clearly stated that since the late Owa Obokun of Ijesa land, HRM Oba Dr. Adekunle Aromolaran passed on in the year 2024, the Ijesa kingmakers called on all bonafide royal families entitled to the throne to present their preferred candidate. The kingmakers also called on all qualified and interested princess from royal houses to throw their hats in the ring of being crowned the next Owa Obokun of Ijesa land.

Moreover, the onus of presenting the next king fell on the Bilaro Oluodo Royal Clan and under this clan are four ruling houses namely, the Ofokutu ruling house, Ajimoko also known as the Haastrup family, the Fajemisin Ruling house and the Arimoro ruling house. These are all the ruling houses that are entitled to present candidates for the next Owa Obokun of Ijesa land.

In a jiffy, two families presented their sons for the throne. The candidates were all asked to collect their forms and at the end, ten forms were collected by the princes who all displayed their deep interests in becoming the new Owa. Meanwhile, information gathered by our intelligent team is that, immediately the procedures for the selection of the new monarch commenced, there began to emerge, suspicious interventions, most especially from the Osun State Government which does not have any role to play, traditionally or constitutionally in the selection of a new Owa for the people of Ijesa land. The town’s kingmakers popularly known as the ‘Agba Ijesas’ are the ones traditionally mandated to pick the new Owa Obokun of Ijesa land.

We gathered further, that ever since the selection process started, it was initially smooth and well organized until the Osun State Government allegedly hijacked the peaceful procedure precisely in December, 2024. This move by the Senator Ademola Adeleke’s government to intrude into a traditional matter that is not under his jurisdiction coerced the Ofokutu ruling house, who suspected a foul play to head to the law court for proper legal intervention into the issue. The Ofokutu family headed to the High Court situated in Ilesa, urging the court to immediately order the state government headed by His Excellency Senator Ademola Adeleke and all other stakeholders involved in the selection of a new Owa to suspend their activities because it’s crystal clear that the state government has suspiciously imposed a candidate on others and that is, the present Owa Obokun Prince Clement Adesuyi Haastrup. The court granted the wishes of the Ofokutu family and ordered the Osun State Government to step down on its move to forcefully impose a candidate on Ijesa land.

It was reported however, that on Friday 27th of December 2024, a directive came from the Ilesha West Local Government summoning five kingmakers for a meeting and these kingmakers are all loyal to the Ademola Adeleke-led state government and the imposed Prince Clement Adesuyi Haastrup who is believed to be currently acting as regent to the Owa Obokun throne. We gathered that, the five kingmakers were actually summoned by the Osun State Government through the leadership of Ilesha West Local Government. When the five kingmakers got there, they were told that they have to conduct an election which is a directive from the Osun State Government. However, in actuality, thirteen kingmakers are traditionally entitled to the selection of Owa Obokun of Ijesa land. At the meeting, it was alleged that the state government upturned the initial agreement with the kingmakers and disqualified seven of them, saying they have no right to take part in the electoral process of the new Owa Obokun.

Practically, only five out of the thirteen kingmakers were allowed to vote for the Owa Obokun at a closed door session as no one else beside the five kingmakers and state government representatives were allowed access to the electoral meeting. Suddenly, a woman rose from the meeting and introduced herself as representative of Ilesha West Local Government and said, the five kingmakers have conducted the election and have unanimously chosen Prince Clement Adesuyi Haastrup as the new Owa Obokun of Ijesa land.

However, while conducting a vox-pop with those that matters in the Obaship issues of Ijesa land, our correspondent gathered that the people are amazed, surprised and saddened that how on earth would only five out of thirteen kingmakers be allowed to conduct an election of that magnitude to the detriment of other seven kingmakers who were ‘illegally’ accused of not qualified to vote for the new Owa Obokun.

Moreover, we gathered that ever since the installation of an Owa Obokun of Ijesa land commenced historically, the Owa Ofokutu was first installed in 1846 and reigned till 1858 before he passed on and while searching for who would succeed the late king, the kingmakers later arrived at calling on the Haastrup family and this was because the Haastrup family played a significant role during the Ijesha and Ekiti Parapo war against the Ibadan. According to information gathered, the Haastrup family were slaves back then. The Haastrup family went to their master who is the real Haastrup to demand for fighting weapons which he granted them. So, that name Haastrup has no meaning in Yoruba land and the name implies nothing but slavery. Then, after the war was over and conquered, the reigning king died and the kingmakers decided in 1896 to look inwards to the family of Bilaro and the last king that reigned in Bilaro ruling house. Then the kingmakers began searching for a family link of Haastrup with royalty in Ijesa land but could not find one. We have Bilaro, Biladu, Bilagbayo and Bilarere royal families and all the four royal families in Ijesa land, yet no root for the Haastrup family. The kingmakers now went to the Bilaro Oluodo Royal and told them that they should allow the Haastrup family to be king over Ijesa land so as to appreciate their gallantry efforts during the victory over the Ibadan at the warfront. So, in 1896 the first Haastrup Ajimoko 1 was installed as Owa Obokun of Ijesa land. The Ijesha kingmakers took this step so as to help elevate the standard of the Haastrup family and in 1946, the onus again fell on the Bilaro Oluodo family to emerge Owa Obokun and again, the Haastrup family was given the right to emerge as Owa Obokun for the second time consecutively. It was never their turn, they took it by force, they forcefully hijacked the kingship because they used money to hijack the throne. Therefore, the same thing is happening today. When you give people too many chances and opportunities, they will overtake the possession of anything you offer them. You know, our forefathers back then easily overlook things, saying there is nothing bad in allowing them to become kings, and see the consequences today.

Now that it is the third time the Owa Obokun obaship is coming to Bilaro family, the Haastrup family is alleged to have connived with the state government and said, this same Prince Clement Adesuyi Haastrup is the man they want as Owa Obokun of Ijesa land and constitutionally, the Owa Obokun throne should be shared accordingly and now that we have four ruling houses under Bilaro which are Ofokutu, Ajimoko, Arimoro and Fajemisin and you neglected the other three. That is why the people concluded that this is cheating at the highest level. They are of the view that making the Haastrup family king over Ijesa land for the third time is a disgrace and dent to the royalty history of other three royal families in Bilaro ruling house.

Now, in order to set the record straight and for all stakeholders to do the needful for the benefits of Ijesha land, the Ofokutu and the family head, called on all family, Ijesa, youths and elders not to be at war with anybody or take to violence but head straight to the court of law and the court ordered on December 12 that the Osun State Government should desist from installing an Owa Obokun of Ijesa land. So, on December 27, 2024 when the Osun State Government announced that they had chosen a prince, Clement Adesuyi Haastrup as the man to sit on the throne, someone whose case is still pending in the court of law. The state government was allegedly accused of saying that the same High Court at Ilesha asked them to go ahead with the declaration and installation of Prince Clement Haastrup as the Owa Obokun. We gathered that lawyers to the Ofokutu ruling house then asked the state government when they got another exparte motion from the court that they should go ahead with the installation of anybody as Owa Obokun.

It was thereafter reported that on Friday January 10, 2025, when the lawyers to the Ofokutu family got the court judgement, it was back dated to December 13th, 2024, that the High Court in Ilesha granted the Osun State Government the power to go ahead with the installation process of a new Owa Obokun, a day after the Ofokutu family got the power to instruct the state government and other stakeholders from installing an Owa. Lawyers and elders of the Ofokutu family now asked why is it that after gotten a judgement of enforcement on December 12 and the state government purportedly got its own judgement on December 13, why is it that the Osun State government and its allied delivered the court judgement to the Ofokutu royal family lawyers on January 10? So, surprisingly, the same judge that gave the Ofokutu royal family their own exparte motion is the same judge that gave the state government permission to go ahead with the declaration and installation of a new Owa. However, the legal team of the Ofokutu family outrightly pointed out that the judge should have sought for the attention of the Ofokutu lawyers to know about the prayer of the state government.

On January 14 this year when the case was to be heard by the court, the lawyers of the Ofokutu royal family prayed that the Judge should recuse himself from the case for another Judge to hear the case. The Judge, however told the lawyers to the Ofokutu royal family to put their request in writing and adjourned the case till the 6th of March, 2025 for further hearing.

In conclusion, the other seven kingmakers who were denied their right to vote for a new Owa Obokun of Ijesa land also vehemently rejected the decision of the state government, and in the same Bilaro ruling house, the Arimoro and Fajemisin royal families are also against the action of the Osun State government, concerning it’s support for Prince Clement Adesuyi Haastrup who they believe is illegally declared and installed as the Owa Obokun Adimula, the paramount ruler of Ijesa land.

As the situation stands now, there is an obvious pointer that trouble is looming in Ijesa land, a royal brouhaha that has never occurred in the historical town in the past. The people are vehemently against the decision of the Osun State Government led by His Excellency Governor Ademola Jackson Adeleke to declare and installed Prince Clement Adesuyi Haastrup as the Owa Obokun of Ijesa.