By Aliyu Oyewole
Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, have disagreed over the occupant of the position of Iyaloja-General of the state following the monarch’s announcement reinstating Chief Awawu Asindemade.
The development has triggered a fresh controversy over the authority to appoint the head of market women in Osun State.
In a viral video on Saturday, the Ataoja announced that Asindemade, the Iyalode of Osogbo who previously served as Iyaloja-General, had been returned to the position.
Asindemade held the office during the administrations of former governors Rauf Aregbesola and Adegboyega Oyetola before Governor Adeleke replaced her with Mrs Mary Oyebode in 2023.
Explaining his decision, the monarch said he had directed Asindemade to support Adeleke’s re-election bid in the August 15 governorship election and that she complied with the directive.
“I am the only person who can appoint the Iyaloja General,” the monarch said, according to the video.
He added that he was returning Asindemade’s royal beads as Iyaloja-General and wanted Governor Adeleke to be at peace with her.
However, the governor swiftly rejected the development.
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke maintained that Mrs Mary Oyebode remains the legally recognised Iyaloja-General of Osun State.
The governor said the authority to make such an appointment rests with the state government, declaring any announcement from another quarter, including the Osogbo Royal Palace, null and void.
Adeleke consequently urged market associations and women across the state to disregard the reported reinstatement of Asindemade and continue to recognise Oyebode as the Iyaloja-General backed by the state government.
He also appealed to institutions and individuals to respect their legally assigned mandates and avoid actions capable of disturbing the peace of the state.
The dispute is particularly notable because the position has previously been at the centre of political disagreement. When Adeleke appointed Oyebode in 2023, Asindemade rejected her removal and argued that the organisation she headed was a non-governmental body, insisting that the governor could not remove her as Iyaloja-General.
The latest development has therefore reopened the longstanding dispute over who has the authority to determine the leadership of market women in Osun State, with the governor and the traditional ruler now publicly taking opposing positions.
