Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has deposed Oba Joseph Oloyede as Apetumodu of Ipetumodu following his conviction in the United States on charges of tax fraud and money laundering. The deposition followed the receipt of the Certified True Copy of the judgment from the Ohio court, which convicted Oba Oloyede on August 26, 2025. He was sentenced to 56 months in prison for wire fraud, filing false tax returns, and engaging in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property.
A statement by the governor's spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, confirmed the action was taken after the State Executive Council directed the Ministry of Local Government to obtain the court documents. The council had insisted on official records rather than social media reports as the basis for government decisions. The deposition order, signed by Adeleke on May 7, 2026, cited the need to maintain peace, order, and good governance.
The order stated that Oba Oloyede's guilty plea and public trial had brought the institution of Obaship and the Apetumodu stool into disrepute and public odium. As a result, the stool has been declared vacant. The state government will initiate the process to appoint a new Apetumodu at the appropriate time. Adeleke has called on residents of Ipetumodu to remain peaceful and law-abiding during the transition.
Adeleke enforces a moral standard on Oba Oloyede while benefiting politically from royal endorsements. The deposition rests on a US conviction, yet no similar scrutiny is applied to other royals allied with the governor. If the integrity of the stool depends on foreign court judgments, the process risks appearing selective. The silence on other royals' conduct makes the action seem less about principle than timing.
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