The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the state government of stoking tension in Igbajo after the death of the embattled Owa of Igbajoland, Oba Philip Adegboyega Famodun, who died on Friday.
In a statement released on Monday, the party’s spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, claimed the state government played a role in the unrest that erupted during the late monarch’s seven-day traditional burial rites.
The party chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, said, “It is disheartening that the Governor Adeleke-led government could not hide its pathological hatred for the deceased Oba Famodun even in death.”
The APC criticised the government’s declaration of a 24-hour curfew in Igbajo, describing the timing as disruptive to the ongoing rites that commenced on Sunday.
Lawal added, “We want to state unequivocally that the Adeleke government should be held accountable for any crisis that may erupt in Igbajo over the conduct of the ongoing traditional rites.”
The opposition referenced past communal clashes in the state, alleging that administrative lapses had previously contributed to tensions in affected communities.
The APC also noted that although Oba Famodun was crowned in November 2022, his installation was nullified by an executive action later reversed by the High Court of Osun State on 31 January 2025.
The statement said, “The High Court reinstated Oba Famodun as the Owa of Igbajo, making him at the time of his death the last Owa who should not be denied his traditional burial rites.”
The party urged the Inspector-General of Police to intervene and called for an immediate reversal of the curfew in the interest of peace.
Responding, the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, accused the APC of attempting to shift blame for its alleged neglect of the late monarch during his ill-health.
In a counter-statement signed by its chairman, Sunday Bisi, the PDP said, “The APC should explain why it abandoned the late Gboyega Famodun in his hours of needs instead of blaming the state government.”
The PDP argued that the curfew was imposed based on security reports indicating an imminent breakdown of law and order in Igbajo.
Bisi stated, “The governor has a duty to ensure the maintenance of law and order through appropriate workings of the security council.”
The party claimed that security agencies had reported attempts by alleged APC supporters to disrupt peace in the town, prompting the decision to impose restrictions.
It also questioned the role the APC had to play in organising the burial rites of the deceased monarch and described its criticisms as an attempt to mask internal failures.
The PDP urged the Inspector-General of Police and the public to disregard what it described as misleading claims from the opposition, insisting that Governor Adeleke acted strictly within constitutional boundaries.
It had reported that in the aftermath of the announcement of the demise of Famodun, Governor Ademola Adeleke on Monday imposed a 24 hour curfew in igbajo town.
The imposition of the curfew, a statement issued by Kolapo Alimi, the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment came following a reported breakdown of law and order that lasted from Sunday night into the early hours of Monday.
According to the statement, the intelligence received from the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Samuel Ojo, indicated that tensions escalated among residents after the recent death of Oba Famodun, the embattled Owa of Igbajo land who reportedly died in Abuja on Friday.
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