His Royal Majesty, Oba Tajudeen Babatunde Omotosho Akanni Abioye has emerged as the 14th Onijabe of Ijabe Land in Odo Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, following his unanimous selection by the kingmakers and approval by the Osun State Government.
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The emergence of the new monarch followed the demise of the immediate past Onijabe, Oba Felix Olaniyan Oyeniyi Oyelade II, JP, who joined his ancestors on August 22, 2026.
Oba Abioye, a prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist with investments spanning real estate, mining, hospitality, oil and gas, agriculture and education, was nominated as the sole candidate by the Abioye-Ekanoye Ruling House. His nomination received the unanimous support of the other recognised ruling houses and the kingmakers of Ijabe.
The Osun State Executive Council, under the leadership of Governor Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, subsequently approved his candidature on October 23, 2026. He was formally installed on October 24, 2026, as the 14th Onijabe of Ijabe Land.
Following his installation, the new monarch embarked on a traditional procession through major roads in Ijabe, paying homage to the ancestral homes of past Onijabes before proceeding into the traditional seven-day Ipebi seclusion, where he underwent customary rites, royal protocols and consultations with his predecessors.
Having successfully completed the traditional rites, Oba Abioye has now fully assumed the responsibilities of the revered traditional stool.
Government Reaffirms 1955 Chieftaincy Declaration
The emergence of the new monarch is also significant against the background of longstanding legal disputes surrounding the Onijabe chieftaincy stool and the applicable customary law governing the selection of its occupants.
The 1955 registered Onijabe Chieftaincy Declaration remains the principal legal instrument regulating the nomination, selection and appointment of candidates to the throne.
The matter had previously generated litigation involving the five recognised ruling houses Folashade, Olukoye, Adekanye, Oyelade and Okunoye versus four other families, namely Olukoyo Dodo, Obadoke, Alaase and Oloyede.
In Suit No. HIK/MISC 2/1997, the High Court of Justice, Ikirun, presided over by Justice R.A. Yusuff, dismissed an application seeking to compel the release of the report of the Okanlawon Panel of Inquiry established by the then Oyo State Government in 1990.
Subsequently, in Suit No. HIK/43/1997, Ganiyu Adelani Ajiboye and four others instituted an action against John Adedokun Adeyemi and others over the recognition of the ruling houses.
In a judgment delivered on April 25, 2017, Justice A.A. Aderibigbe upheld the position of the five recognised ruling houses under the 1955 Chieftaincy Declaration and granted a perpetual injunction against the recognition of the four disputed families as ruling houses entitled to present candidates for the Onijabe stool.
The judgment also affirmed that the registered 1955 Chieftaincy Declaration remained the applicable customary law governing the selection and appointment of the Onijabe, pending any lawful amendment.
The judgment, according to the Directorate of Media and Publicity of the Onijabe, has not been appealed against by the affected families.
Osun Government Restores the Existing Chieftaincy Declaration
The controversy resurfaced in 2018 when the then Osun State Government purportedly recognised the four disputed families as ruling houses and introduced an amended chieftaincy declaration.
The action was challenged by members of the five recognised ruling houses in Suit No. HKK/2/2018, involving HRM Oba Felix Olaniyan Oyeniyi Oyelade II and others against Mr. Tunde Ayodele Alabi and others.
The ruling houses also submitted a petition dated August 7, 2024, to Governor Ademola Adeleke, requesting the reversal of what they described as an unlawful alteration of the existing chieftaincy arrangement.
In response, the Osun State Executive Council, under Governor Adeleke, set aside the purported 2018 amended Chieftaincy Declaration, thereby restoring the 1955 declaration as the applicable instrument guiding the selection of the Onijabe.
Following the government’s corrective action, the ruling houses filed a Notice of Discontinuance in Suit No. HKK/2/2018, effectively bringing the litigation to an end.
The development has paved the way for the emergence and installation of Oba Tajudeen Abioye in accordance with the existing chieftaincy framework.
A New Chapter for Ijabe Land
Beyond his royal heritage, the new Onijabe is widely recognised for his contributions to the development of Ijabe through investments, community support and initiatives aimed at improving the social and economic well-being of the people.
His emergence is expected to usher in a new chapter of traditional leadership, unity, peace and development in Ijabe Land.
The people of Ijabe have expressed optimism that his wealth of experience, business exposure and longstanding relationship with the community will translate into greater development opportunities for the town.
With his formal assumption of office, Oba Tajudeen Babatunde Omotosho Akanni Abioye now occupies the ancestral throne as the 14th Onijabe of Ijabe Land.
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