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The Bakare family of Ijesaland, from the Saloro Orunde lineage, has intensified its challenge to the installation of Otunba Lai Folorunso Oriowo as the Saloro of Ilesa, alleging that the succession process violated established family traditions and rotational arrangements governing the chieftaincy title.
The family, which considers the development an injustice to its ancestral heritage and historical legacy, is seeking the intervention of His Imperial Majesty, Oba Clement Adesuyi Haastrup Ajimoko III, the Owa Obokun Adimula and Paramount Ruler of Ijesaland.
In separate representations to the monarch, members of the family argued that the Saloro stool belongs to recognised ruling families whose eligibility is determined by established customs and a rotational system. They maintained that the selection and installation of a candidate outside the family they consider entitled to produce the next occupant raise fundamental questions about customary succession and the preservation of the institution's integrity.
The controversy has now extended beyond an earlier protest against the reported nomination of Oriowo to a fresh demand for the recognition of Oladotun Lukman Bakare, whom the heads of the four Saloro pedigrees have reportedly nominated unanimously to fill the vacancy.
Oladotun Lukman Bakare is also a descendant of the late Owa Ataiyero of Ijesaland through his paternal grandmother, who was a granddaughter of the erstwhile monarch, making Bakare a great-great-grandson of Owa Ataiyero.
Bakare Family Cites Historical Precedent
In a formal protest letter dated April 7, 2026, addressed to the Owa Obokun Adimula, the Bakare family maintained that the Saloro chieftaincy is a hereditary institution governed by recognised family rights and rotational principles, rather than an appointment to be made without regard to lineage and established procedure.
The family recalled that the late Chief S. B. Bakare, a member of the Saloro Orunde lineage, occupied the stool from 1969 to 1989. According to the petitioners, other eligible families have occupied the position since then, making it the Bakare family's turn to nominate the next Saloro under the rotational arrangement they described.
They argued that recognising a candidate without the required genealogical connection to an entitled ruling family would undermine their claimed customary rights and depart from the traditional process governing succession.
The family consequently urged the monarch to decline recognition or ratification of the reported nomination and installation of Oriowo and uphold what it described as the Bakare family's right to present a candidate at this stage of the rotation.
Four Pedigrees Endorse Oladotun Lukman Bakare
In a subsequent letter to the Owa Obokun Adimula, the heads of the four Saloro pedigrees announced their unanimous endorsement and nomination of Oladotun Lukman Bakare to fill the existing vacancy.
The family presented the nomination as a collective decision of the four pedigrees, citing Bakare's native intelligence, academic qualifications and personal qualities as attributes that could enable him to contribute to the development of Ijesaland and support the monarch's vision for the kingdom.
It appealed to the Owa Obokun to give favourable consideration to the nomination, with a list of the heads of the four pedigrees attached to the letter as an annexure.
The nomination introduces a specific alternative to the installed chief and places the competing claims of family eligibility, customary rotation and the authority to determine succession at the centre of the dispute.
Family Questions Oriowo's Ancestral Connection
In its subsequent statement, seen by KAKAKIOODUA on September 8, 2026, the family renewed its objections to Oriowo's installation, alleging that he has no genealogical affiliation with the Bakare Saloro family.
They argued that the Saloro stool should be filled through the recognised family structure and not through nominations they consider inconsistent with the institution's traditions.
These assertions represent the family's position and have not been independently established by the materials available for this report.
For the petitioners, the dispute is not simply about which individual occupies the title. They maintain that it concerns the recognition of ancestral identity, the observance of customary succession and the protection of the Saloro family's heritage for future generations.
Installation Raises Questions About Succession
The palace of the Owa Obokun Adimula has installed Lai Oriowo as the new Saloro of Ilesa, even as the succession issue continues to attract attention and debate within the community.
The installation has heightened the significance of the family's demand for royal intervention, particularly its call for the consideration of Oladotun Lukman Bakare, nominated by the heads of the four pedigrees.
The central issues raised by the protest include whether the established rotational arrangement entitles the Bakare lineage to nominate the next occupant, how eligibility for the title is determined under the relevant customs, and how the competing claims should be addressed following Oriowo's installation.
The family's appeal to the Owa Obokun Adimula reflects its desire for the dispute to be examined through the traditional institution. It has expressed hope that the monarch will consider the petitions and the circumstances surrounding the selection in accordance with applicable customs, traditions and established procedures.
While the Bakare family insists that its historical connection and the tenure of its late patriarch support its claim, the full determination of the dispute would require consideration of the applicable chieftaincy customs, relevant family records, the circumstances of the selection and the position of the palace.
The family has concluded its appeal by expressing prayers for the monarch's continued good health, long reign and success in leading Ijesaland towards greater development and prosperity.
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