Following the death of the Prime Minister and Lisa of Idanre, Chief Olu Christopher Akindolire, the Idanre Development Assembly (IDA) has appealed to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State to urgently approve the resumption and conclusion of the selection process for a new monarch of Idanre Kingdom.
The death of Akindolire, the nonagenarian leader of Idanre, has made Chief Akinloye Akinboni, the Ojomo of Idanre, the third in command, the Regent of the town, creating a vacuum in the traditional setting of the town.
In the letter dated May 7, 2026, and addressed to the governor at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure, the socio-cultural body expressed concern over the prolonged vacancy on the throne following the transition of the former Owa, Oba Frederick Aroloye on July 31, 2024.
The letter, jointly signed by the President-General of the IDA, Chief Dr Anthony A. Omolola, and the Secretary-General, Prof. Oluropo E. Akinfala, noted that the situation had been worsened by the recent death of the Regent and Lisa of Idanre Kingdom, High Chief Christopher Oluwole Akindolire, on May 1, 2026.
According to the group, the absence of a substantive monarch has created social and economic hardships across Idanreland, particularly affecting traders and market women whose trading locations were allegedly relocated to unsafe and unconducive areas pending the installation of a new king.
It read: “The market women and men are worst hit in the hardships with the cultural relocations of their marketplaces to areas that are not conducive and dangerous for their merchandise.”
The IDA claimed that several motor and motorcycle accidents, including incidents involving loss of lives and limbs, had occurred in the affected areas.
The assembly stated that the selection process for a new Owa had already advanced to the stage where kingmakers were expected to convene publicly under the supervision of local government officials to elect a new monarch, before the process was halted by the state government.
The group argued that the suspension of the process had deprived the kingmakers of the experience and guidance of the late High Chief Akindolire, whose passing, it said, had heightened tension and debate within the kingdom.
Appealing to the governor to intervene in the interest of peace and stability, the IDA urged the state government to approve a date — preferably within May 2026 — for the completion of the selection process.
The socio-cultural group said a stitch in time saves nine expressing confidence in the governor’s commitment to peace and development in the state.
