As anticipation builds in Idanre Kingdom over the selection of a new Owa, an unexpected and sensational report suddenly swept through the media space, striking the community like a thunderbolt and unsettling its peace.
The highly misleading and poorly investigated publication titled “Ondo: Kingmakers in trouble for levying Obaship Aspirants N10m each, as Anti-graft body launches probe” appeared on SunshineTruth, an online platform focused on Ondo State affairs.
The said report, published on October 11, 2025 and was purportedly based on a petition by so-called “Concerned Citizens of Idanre,” is not only devoid of truth but also bereft of every element of responsible journalism.
A critical examination of the story reveals a disturbing lack of balance and professional rigor. The writer relied entirely on one-sided claims without the decency of reaching out to the accused Kingmakers for clarification or reaction. This is no doubt a fundamental breach of journalistic ethics.
Even more questionable is the fact that the so-called petitioners are faceless with no identifiable names, addresses or evidence of representation within the Idanre community. This alone renders the report baseless, malicious and unworthy of public trust.
According to the Kingmakers, every aspirant to the throne of Owa of Idanre willingly paid the agreed levy through official bank transactions, receipts of which were duly attached to their nomination forms before submission.
This was not an arbitrary demand, as mischievously portrayed in the report. The amount was mutually agreed upon at a meeting held on September 9 with all aspirants and key community stakeholders at the residence of High Chief Christopher Oluwole Akindolire, the Lisa and Regent of Idanre, in the presence of other Kingmakers. The decision to pay the said amount was borne out of consensus, not compulsion.
The fund was transparently earmarked to cover the entire selection process, traditional rites, and the renovation of the long-abandoned palace. For instance, it was agreed that the High Chief Sama’s State House at Oke Idanre, where the Owa-elect is expected to reside for three months, had completely collapsed and would need to be rebuilt from scratch.
Findings further indicate that this damaging report was sponsored by one of the aspirants, who, having sensed imminent rejection through a fair and credible selection process, resorted to blackmail and media manipulation to tarnish the image of respected kingmakers.
Several credible sources also revealed that the said aspirant had earlier attempted to leverage his connections within the state government to covertly undermine the selection process and secure the throne through political influence. This desperate move, sources added, followed his realization that his chances of emerging through due process were becoming increasingly slim.
It is really unfortunate that a personal agenda is being pursued at the expense of truth and the collective dignity of the Idanre people.
It must be placed on record that the Idanre Kingmakers, under the leadership of High Chief Akindolire, are men of proven integrity, credibility and unblemished character.
These are community leaders whose lifetime of service, both within and outside Idanre, has earned them respect and honour. To attempt to drag their names through the mud for selfish, political or traditional advantage is disturbing, disheartening and disgraceful.
While the report in question should ordinarily be dismissed for its watery claims and journalistic shallowness, it is necessary to set the record straight in order to prevent unsuspecting members of the public especially in Idanre from being misled and misinformed.
Since the passing of the revered Oba Fredrick Gbolagunte Aroloye, High Chief Akindolire has steadily steered the affairs of Idanre with a deep sense of duty. Under his leadership, the peace and order nurtured by the late monarch have been preserved and even more strengthened.
He has also committed himself and the entire body of kingmakers to ensuring a transparent, lawful and peaceful selection process that reflects the sacred customs and traditions of the Idanre Kingdom. No amount of smear campaign or falsehood, no matter how loud, can derail this commitment.
The people of Idanre and general public are strongly advised to disregard the said publication in its entirety. Truth, they say, will always prevail and the integrity of the Idanre traditional institution will remain intact.
