An Open Letter to His Excellency, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, Executive Governor of Osun State.
Your Excellency,
1. I write this open letter out of concern for the integrity of public institutions, traditional leadership and the standard of justice being practised under your administration. As Governor of Osun State, your decisions carry enormous consequences, not only for political officeholders but also for the traditional institutions and communities whose interests you are constitutionally empowered to protect. Your Excellency, leadership demands consistency, fairness and accountability, particularly when decisions involve individuals whose public records have generated serious questions.
2. Your administration’s handling of the case involving Apetumodu, whom you removed over allegations of fraudulent conduct, raises an important question about the standard of accountability operating in Osun State. If allegations of fraud and misconduct were considered serious enough to warrant his removal, what justification does your government have for approving the appointment of Babatunde Tajudeen Abioye, popularly known as TJ of Holland, as the Onijabe of Ijabe, despite the serious controversies surrounding his reported criminal history?
3. Your Excellency, this is not an attempt to pass judgment on anyone outside the court of law. Rather, it is a demand for consistency. The reported criminal proceedings involving TJ of Holland in the Netherlands and Mozambique deserve serious public attention. Reports citing information from Mozambique’s Prosecutor-General’s Office indicate that he was arrested in Maputo in November 2022 following an international arrest warrant connected to a Dutch criminal case involving illicit drug trafficking and psychotropic substances. The reports also indicate that extradition proceedings were subsequently approved by the Mozambican Supreme Court. These are matters that deserve proper examination and clarification before anyone is entrusted with a revered traditional institution.
4. More troubling are reports that the Mozambican authorities also identified him in a separate investigation involving alleged aggravated document forgery, the use of false documents, criminal association and active corruption. These are grave allegations, and the public deserves to know whether your administration considered the relevant official records before approving his appointment. Was any independent background verification conducted? Were the relevant authorities consulted? Did the Osun State Government establish the full circumstances surrounding these reported proceedings before arriving at its decision?
5. Your Excellency, the Onijabe stool is not an ordinary political appointment that should be treated as a reward for influence, wealth or personal connections. It is a revered traditional institution representing the history, identity, heritage and collective dignity of Ijabe people. Whoever occupies that stool must command public confidence and be prepared to uphold the values expected of a traditional ruler. The question is not whether TJ of Holland is wealthy or influential, but whether the process that produced him and the questions surrounding his background were subjected to the necessary scrutiny.
6. Beyond the questions surrounding his background, there is also a serious dispute over the succession process. Reports indicate that the Osun State Executive Council set aside the 2018 Amended Onijabe of Ijabe Chieftaincy Declaration before approving his appointment. However, some ruling houses have challenged the government’s decision, insisting that the 2018 declaration remains the applicable instrument governing succession to the throne. They have approached the Osun State High Court, seeking to challenge the government’s action and protect what they consider their legitimate rights under the established succession arrangement.
7. Your Excellency, why was it necessary to approve an appointment that has generated such controversy among the people directly concerned with the traditional institution? Why should the government take a decision of such significance without allowing all legitimate concerns surrounding the succession arrangement to be conclusively addressed? The people of Ijabe deserve a transparent process that respects the applicable chieftaincy declaration, the rights of recognised ruling houses and the established traditions of the community.
8. This brings us back to the question of your administration’s apparent double standard. Apetumodu was removed over allegations of fraudulent conduct, yet an individual whose reported international criminal proceedings have raised serious questions has received government approval for one of the most respected traditional positions in Ijabe. What message does this send to the people of Osun State? Does your administration apply one standard to those who are politically expendable and another to those who enjoy sufficient influence and access to power?
9. Your Excellency, the people of Osun State should not be made to believe that political loyalty, financial influence or personal relationships can outweigh integrity, due process and accountability. Traditional institutions must not become instruments for rewarding individuals regardless of the legitimate concerns surrounding their public records. A government that demands accountability from some individuals must be willing to apply the same principle to everyone, including those whose appointments it approves.
10. I therefore respectfully call on you to publicly explain the considerations that informed the approval of TJ of Holland as the Onijabe of Ijabe. The people deserve to know whether the reported criminal proceedings were investigated, whether the relevant documents were examined and whether the government considered the implications of the ongoing chieftaincy dispute before making its decision. I also urge your administration to respect the judicial process and avoid actions that could undermine the court’s determination of the dispute.
11. Your Excellency, this is bigger than TJ of Holland, Apetumodu or any individual political interest. It concerns the credibility of your administration and the confidence citizens place in government decisions. You cannot convincingly preach accountability while appearing to apply different standards to different individuals. If integrity is a requirement for public responsibility, it should also be a requirement when approving traditional rulers. If due process matters, it must matter even when the individuals involved are politically influential.
12. Finally, Governor Adeleke, history will remember not only the appointments you approved but also the principles behind those decisions. I urge you to reconsider the concerns surrounding the appointment of Oba Tajudeen Babatunde as the Onijabe of Ijabe and provide the people with satisfactory answers. You removed Apetumodu over allegations of fraudulent conduct, but approved a personality whose reported international criminal proceedings and the controversy surrounding his emergence have generated serious questions. Your Excellency, Osun State deserves one standard of justice, not a two-sided system in which accountability depends on who is involved.
Yours in the interest of justice, fairness, accountability and the dignity of Osun State.
Ijabe Solidarity Forum