The Lagbua Family of Iragbiji, Osun State, has commended Governor Ademola Adeleke for resolving a longstanding chieftaincy dispute while cautioning against actions that could disrupt public peace in the town.
The Osun State Government recently announced that the State Executive Council had approved the White Paper on a Judicial Panel of Inquiry report regarding the Aragbiji of Iragbiji Chieftaincy Declaration.
Reacting to this, the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdulrosheed Olabomi, dismissed the report, alleging that an unknown family was being inserted into the declaration to create conflict.
However, Mr. Adeleke Adeyemo, speaking on behalf of the Lagbua Family, clarified at a press conference that their family—comprising Ajibolu (Ooye), Olupejobi, Oluode, Odogun, and Elemo Osho compounds—was originally listed in the 1951 draft of the Aragbiji Chieftaincy Declaration and confirmed again in 1956. Despite this, the family was mysteriously removed from the declaration in 1958, a fact they only discovered in 1968 when a new monarch was to be selected.
Previous efforts to reinstate the family, including a 2010 Judicial Panel of Inquiry under former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, recommended their inclusion as a ruling house. However, the administration of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola rejected this recommendation in 2013 without explanation.
Upon Governor Adeleke’s assumption of office, the Lagbua family petitioned for justice in September 2023. After a thorough review, the Osun State Executive Council, on January 29, 2025, upheld the family’s claim.
Describing themselves as peace-loving, the Lagbua Family emphasized that they are not seeking the removal of Oba Olabomi but urged President Bola Tinubu, Governor Adeleke, and security agencies to caution the monarch against making inflammatory statements that could incite violence.
