The incumbent Owa of Igbajo in Osun State, Oba Ademola Makinde, has debunked reports suggesting he is dead, clarifying that it was the immediate past monarch, Adegboyega Famodun, who passed away.
This was contained in a statement on Tuesday in Osogbo by the Traditional Secretary of the Royal Court of Igbajo, Gbonjubola Olorunnisola.
Olorunnisola said the misinformation had prompted numerous calls to the palace from concerned Nigerians, while others had visited in person to confirm the monarch’s wellbeing.
He explained that the legal dispute between the incumbent Owa of Igbajo and the late Adegboyega Famodun — a former All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain whom some media outlets had also referred to as Owa of Igbajo — was still pending before the courts.
According to him, the palace was saddened by Famodun’s death but found it necessary to correct public misconceptions.
‘To put the record straight, there is an impending case at the Appellate Court in Akure, where the substantive appeal against the judgment of the High Court in Ile Ife was filed’, he stated.
He added that a stay of execution had been filed at the High Court in Ile-Ife and was yet to be heard, maintaining that ‘the status quo remains’.
‘Both parties to the appeal were in court on 13 November, and the case was subsequently adjourned to January 2026’, he said.
Olorunnisola stressed that Oba Makinde remains the recognised Owa of Igbajo.
‘The palace of Owa Igbajo and the whole community mourn the demise of Prince Philip Adegboyega Famodun, an illustrious son of Igbajo land.
‘The palace, however, wishes to express that the incumbent Owa of Igbajo land, Alayeluwa Oba (Dr.) Ademola Stephen Kayode Makinde Onigemo I, is very much alive and hale.
‘The palace wishes to correct the confusing story that has flooded social media, including print and electronic media, that the Owa of Igbajo land has passed.
‘This misleading information has caused many well-meaning Nigerians to inundate the palace with phone calls, while others have thronged to the palace from far and near to ask after His Royal Majesty’, the statement.
He added that the community was deeply saddened by Famodun’s passing.
‘The palace, however, expressed sadness that Igbajo land has lost an irreplaceable son, Prince Philip Adegboyega Famodun, who has worked tirelessly to place an indelible mark among his political associates and the Igbajo community.
‘We commiserate with the Gbeleru Royal House, the immediate family of Prince Philip Adegboyega Famodun, and the Igbajo community as a whole, and pray that the Lord gives everyone the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss’, he said.
It was reported that the Gbeleru Royal Family of Igbajo had on Sunday announced Famodun’s death in a statement issued by his son, David Famodun. He died on 28 November after a brief illness at the age of 67.
Famodun, installed as Owa of Igbajo by former governor Gboyega Oyetola, was removed in 2022 by Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The state government later approved the appointment of Oba Ademola Makinde as the new Owa of Igbajo on 12 March 2024. The case remains before the court.
