The Magistrate Court sitting in Oke Eda, Akure, has remanded a traditional ruler and two others over alleged involvement in fraudulent land transactions and illegal land grabbing in Ondo State.

The defendants, Oba David Okunato, the traditional ruler of Osi community in Akure North council area, Tifase Folasade, and Nwaigbue Chijioke, alongside others said to be at large, were arraigned before the court as part of the government’s efforts to tackle illegal land dealings across the state.

The prosecution alleged that the monarch had earlier sold about 750 plots of land to a company for development purposes, but later went ahead to resell parts of the same property to several other buyers, leading to disputes over ownership.

Trouble reportedly started when the company returned to begin development on the land and discovered that several individuals were already claiming ownership of parts of the property through fresh allocations allegedly made by the monarch.

The development sparked disputes among the parties involved, forcing the matter to be taken back to the traditional ruler for clarification.

It was further alleged that the monarch later agreed to provide the company with another parcel of land as compensation, but allegedly went ahead to sell the same property to another buyer, further worsening the dispute.

The court subsequently ordered the remand of the defendants at the Olokuta Correctional Centre in Akure pending the fulfilment of their bail conditions.

The court granted bail to each of the defendants in the sum of Two Million Naira (₦2,000,000), with one surety each, who must be a recognised traditional ruler within the court’s Magisterial District, and a civil servant not below Level 14 who is resident within the Akure Magisterial District.

The Idanre Development Assembly (IDA) has appealed to Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, to urgently approve the resumption and conclusion of the selection process for a new Owa of Idanre Kingdom.

In a 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 on July 31, 2024.

The letter, jointly signed by the President-General of 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.

“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 letter stated.

The group further claimed that several motor and motorcycle accidents, including incidents involving loss of lives and limbs, had occurred in the affected areas.

The Assembly said 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.

“A stitch in time saves nine,” the group stated, expressing confidence in the governor’s commitment to peace and development in Ondo State.

IJEBU-ODE — In politics, there are those who show up to do the work, and those who show up to be seen doing something. What played out at the gate of Adeola Odutola Hall during the APC stakeholders’ meeting in Ijebu-Ode was a textbook example of the latter.

By now, the viral videos are everywhere: a convoy halted at the gate, raised voices, a suggestion of exclusion. It is a compelling visual—carefully framed, emotionally charged, and entirely misleading.

Because the real story is far less dramatic, and far more instructive.

I was there.

I arrived before 10:00 a.m., well ahead of the scheduled 11:00 a.m. meeting. The rules were already clear and being enforced without exception: no vehicles inside the premises. Everyone—regardless of status—parked outside and walked in. Simple. Orderly. Respectful.

Then came the convoy of Gbenga Daniel.

What followed was not a denial of entry, but a refusal to comply.

Protocol officers did not bar the Senator. They did not exclude him. They offered a straightforward option: step out of the vehicle, walk in with a limited number of aides, and take your seat among other stakeholders. It was the same condition accepted without fuss by figures like Tokunbo Talabi, Senator Lekan Mustapha, and Senator Gbenga Kaka.

But compliance, it seemed, was not the objective.

The insistence was not just on entry—but on spectacle. A full convoy. A crowd. A moment.

And conveniently, cameras were already rolling.

This is where the incident shifts from misunderstanding to strategy. Because what unfolded at that gate bore all the hallmarks of political theatre: a pre-arranged audience, a predictable script, and a ready-made narrative of victimhood.

The timing alone raises questions. Why arrive more than an hour early with a large entourage for a stakeholders’ meeting? Why escalate a situation over a rule that everyone else had quietly obeyed? Why ensure that the cameras captured every second of the standoff?

The answer is as obvious as the videos now circulating online.

If you cannot control the outcome inside the room, you attempt to control the narrative outside it.

And inside that room, the outcome was decisive.

While the drama played out at the gate, stakeholders within the hall conducted their business—calmly, deliberately, and without distraction. When the issue of the 2027 Ogun East Senatorial seat arose, the response was not fragmented or contested. It was unanimous. Governor Dapo Abiodun received the collective endorsement of party leaders.

That is the story that truly matters.

Not the optics of a gate, but the substance of a consensus.

This is not even an isolated pattern. A similar episode reportedly occurred during the visit of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Ogun State—again involving early arrival, crowd pressure, and questions around protocol. When repetition becomes a pattern, it ceases to be coincidence.

It becomes method.

None of this diminishes the stature of Senator Daniel. But stature in politics is not measured by the length of a convoy or the volume of a crowd. It is measured by the ability to work within structures, build consensus, and command respect among peers.

On that count, the contrast in Ijebu-Ode was stark.

At the gate, there was noise.

Inside the hall, there was decision.

At the gate, there was performance.

Inside the hall, there was politics.

And in the end, it is not the loudest moment that defines the future—it is the quiet agreement that follows.

The next chapter of Ogun East politics was not written in front of cameras. It was written where it has always mattered most: among those willing to sit, engage, and decide.

Everything else was just a show.

Abiodeye is a member of Youth for Good Governance, Ogun State Branch.