A major traditional leadership crisis is brewing in Ore, headquarters of Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, as indigenes raise alarm over what they describe as a plot by the Abodi of Ikale land to allegedly interfere in the installation of a new Olore of Ore.
The stool of the Olore became vacant in August 2022 following the passing of Oba Johnson Olatomide of the Akintimehin Ruling House, one of the officially recognized royal families in the town.
In a strongly worded statement signed by High Chief Samuel Adesanlu, the Princes, Princesses, and Traditional Council of Ore declared that Ore’s traditional stool is not under the jurisdiction of the Abodi of Ikale and warned that any external attempt to impose a monarch would be “resisted by the people.”
“The chieftaincy declaration for the Olore of Ore does not confer any power on monarchs outside Ore to meddle in our affairs,” the statement read.
The warning comes amid reports of a letter sent by Oba Alayeluwa Faduyile, the Abodi of Ikale, to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Deputy Governor Olayide Adelami, seeking to facilitate a meeting regarding the vacant stool.
Ore leaders, however, insist that the matter is purely a local affair governed by the Justice Ajama Chieftaincy Declaration, which recognizes three ruling houses in Ore: Orunsero, Akintimehin, and Dero — none of which are affiliated with the Ikale.
“There is no court judgment that has ceded Ore or its traditional institutions to the Ikale people,” the council asserted.
The statement also cautioned the Ondo State Government to uphold the rule of law and respect the integrity of established traditional systems.
“We will not allow interlopers to rewrite our history or hijack our future. The Olore stool belongs to the people of Ore, and only the people of Ore have the right to determine who ascends it.”
The tension underscores deeper concerns over traditional boundaries and the interpretation of customary laws in multi-ethnic areas of the state.
