Osun APC Accuses Govt of Escalating Tension Over Oba Famodun’s Burial Rites

 

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the state government of aggravating tension in Igbajo, Boluwaduro Local Government Area, following the death of the Owa of Igbajoland, Oba Philip Adegboyega Famodun III.

The party, in a statement issued on Monday by its spokesperson, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, warned that the decision of the Governor Ademola Adeleke-led administration to impose a 24-hour curfew on the town during ongoing traditional rites was capable of triggering unrest in the community.

APC chairman, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, who signed the statement, alleged that the government’s action reflected a long-standing hostility toward the late monarch, who was the immediate past state chairman of the APC.

According to him, the curfew contradicts the peaceful process of the seven-day traditional rites that began on Sunday, shortly after the monarch’s passage.

Lawal said it was “disturbing and unacceptable” that while President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is making efforts to curb tensions nationwide, the Osun State government is “fueling avoidable crises.”

He maintained that the government should be held responsible for any breakdown of law and order in Igbajo over the conduct of the rites, adding that similar administrative missteps allegedly triggered past communal clashes involving Ilobu, Ifon-Osun, and Erin-Osun.

The party recalled that although Oba Famodun’s installation in 2022 was nullified by the state government through an executive order and a white paper, the Osun High Court reinstated him on January 31, 2025—an action that affirmed his legitimacy at the time of his death.

Lawal said the court pronouncement made it imperative for government to allow the late monarch all his traditional burial rights without interference.

The APC called on the Inspector-General of Police to intervene and ensure no political force disrupts the peace of the mourning community. It also demanded an immediate reversal of the curfew in the interest of “peace and stability.”