THE SUSPENSION OF ESELU: A TIME BOMB TICKING IN YEWALAND

By Alagbawi Eda

When the letter came from Oke-Mosan on October 20, 2026, many people in Iselu Kingdom thought it was a joke. How can you suspend a king? How can you order a man who was crowned by his ancestors, whose beaded crown carries the spirit of Iselu, to vacate his palace like a tenant owing rent?

But it was not a joke. The Ogun State Government, through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat, announced the suspension of the Eselu of Iselu Kingdom, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, with immediate effect.

His offence: alleged partisan political activities.

His punishment before trial: vacate the palace, drop the crown, remove the ileke, stop holding irukere, stop parading as Oba. In short, cease to be a king until government finishes its investigation.

If this is not a time bomb, what is it?

A LAW USED SELECTIVELY

The government quoted Section 52(1) of the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law, 2021. That law does give the Executive Council power to suspend an Oba pending investigation. But the question is not whether government has power. The question is whether that power is used with fairness.

In Ogun State today, we all see Obas who openly endorse. They wear party caps. They attend campaign flag-offs. They pray for candidates on the podium. They mount billboards. Nobody queries them.

Why then is Eselu singled out?

Multiple complaints, the government said. But who made the complaints? Were they political opponents who lost out in Iselu? Were they people who want Eselu's stool by all means? The government did not tell us.

What we know is this: Oba Akintunde Akinyemi is a vocal Oba. He speaks his mind. He loves his people. He does not hide his feelings about development or neglect in Yewaland. In a democracy, that should not be a crime.

THE HUMILIATION FACTOR

Even if Eselu erred, there is a way to correct a king without humiliating the throne.

In Yorubaland, the crown is not cap. The beaded crown is sacred. To order an Oba not to wear crown, not to enter palace, is to desecrate the institution itself. It is to tell the people of Iselu that their king is now nobody.

Elders in Yewa North are already murmuring. The youths are angry. The market women are asking: "If they can do this to Eselu today, which Oba is next tomorrow?"

This is why we say it is a time bomb.

Iselu is not a small village. It is a Kingdom in Yewa North, close to the Benin Republic border. It is a community that has suffered years of neglect, bad roads, insecurity. The only symbol of unity they have is their Oba. If you remove him by force, you create a vacuum. You create two camps: those for government and those for Eselu. And in that vacuum, conflict grows.

POLITICS AND THE THRONE

Our Obas are supposed to be non-partisan. That is true. The law says so. Custom says so.

But let us be honest: Can an Oba be truly non-partisan when his community lacks roads, lacks schools, lacks hospitals? When he has to beg government for projects, he will inevitably be drawn into politics.

The solution is not suspension. The solution is dialogue.

Governor Dapo Abiodun is a man who has tried to maintain peace among Obas. He has installed many Obas and upgraded stools. He should not allow this Eselu matter to stain that record.

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE

1.  Lift the suspension immediately in the interest of peace. Allow Oba Akinyemi to return to his palace.

2.  If there are genuine allegations of partisan politics, set up an independent panel with traditional council members, not just government officials, to investigate fairly.

3.  Allow Eselu fair hearing. Let him respond to the allegations publicly.

4.  Apply the same rule to all Obas in Ogun State. If Eselu is suspended for partisanship, then all partisan Obas should be suspended too. That is equity.

Ogun State is a state of peace. Yewaland is a land of brave people. We should not light a fire that we cannot quench.

The Eselu stool is older than this administration and will be there after this administration. Government will come and go, but Iselu Kingdom will remain.

The Ogun State Government should act as a father, not as a bulldozer.

Alagbawi Eda writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State. He is a cultural and human rights commentator.