Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has approved the deposition of Oba Joseph Oloyede as the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu in Ife North Local Government following his conviction in the United States of America on tax fraud and money laundering charges.
A statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, noted that the decision followed the receipt of the Certified True Copy of the Ohio court judgement, which convicted the monarch.
“The Osun State Executive Council had resolved last year that the Ministry of Local Government should write the Ohio court to request for the Certified True Copy of the judgment to form the basis for the government action.
“The Council had justified the decision to contact the Ohio court on the ground that governmental decisions should not be based on social media reporting alone,” the statement noted.
The statement added that Adeleke, in the deposition order signed on 7th May, 2026, predicated his action on the need to maintain peace, order and good government as well as preserve the honour and integrity of the royal stool.
He added that the conviction of Oba Joseph Oloyede has brought the institution of Obaship and the stool of Apetumodu of Ipetumodu to disrepute and public odium, hence the resort to deposition.
The governor declared the stool of Apetumodu of Ipetumodu vacant, adding that necessary process will be put in place to appoint a new Apetumodu of Ipetumodu at the appropriate time.
The governor appeals to sons and daughters of Ipetumodu to remain peaceful and law-abiding while the process of installing a new king is being conducted.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
