Osogbo
2nd March 2026
The Integrity Group of Nigeria, Osun State Chapter, has strongly criticised the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke over what it described as repeated actions capable of plunging the state into widespread unrest through the politicisation of traditional institutions.
In a statement issued by the group’s Publicity Secretary, Hon. Ismail Alade Iwa, the Chairman of the group, Amb. Salam Mustapha Olamilekan, warned that Osun State is gradually drifting towards chaos if urgent steps are not taken to halt alleged illegal processes surrounding Obaship installations.
The group recalled that this is not the first time the Adeleke-led government has been accused of destabilising traditional towns. It noted that a previous Executive Order issued by the governor reportedly turned no fewer than five traditional towns into crisis zones, creating confusion, tension, and open disregard for time-honoured customs governing traditional rulership.
According to the Integrity Group, the Executive Order was issued without adequate consultation with royal families, relevant stakeholders, thereby eroding respect for traditional rulers and weakening established institutions at the grassroots.
The group stressed that the process of selecting or electing an Ọba legally begins at the local government level, adding that the only recognised local government officials in Osun State today are the APC-reinstated chairmen and councillors, not what it described as “sit-at-home” chairmen and councillors.
It further alleged that some career local government officers are secretly collaborating with these “sit-at-home” officials to install traditional rulers in towns where stools are vacant, an action it described as illegal, politically motivated, and capable of igniting violent conflict ahead of elections.
Raising the alarm, the Integrity Group called on securitization agencies, including the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force, to urgently intervene before the situation degenerates into a full-blown breakdown of law and order.
The group also appealed to the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria to wake up to its responsibilities by formally engaging security agencies, summoning concerned royal families to the local government level, and clearly warning them not to heed directives from unauthorized quarters on Obaship matters.
The Integrity Group cautioned that continued disregard for due process and traditional institutions would only deepen division, fuel communal crises, and threaten the peace of Osun State, urging the Adeleke administration to immediately reverse actions capable of turning revered traditional stools into political battlegrounds.
*e-Signed.
*Amb. Salam Mustapha Olamilekan,*
Chairman Integrity Group of Nigeria, Osun State Chapter.
2nd March 2026
