THE AGADAGBA OF AROGBO-IJO CHIEFTAINCY DECLARATION, AND ITS CHALLENGES IN ONDO STATE, NIGERIA, 1957-2018

Abstract

As one of the recognised and approved Chieftaincies in the defunct Ese-Odo District Council of Okitipupa Division, Ondo Province of Western Region, Nigeria, the Agadagba of Arogbo-Ijo Chieftaincy Declaration was first codified with the identity of Perebiri Ruling House under Pere Shadrach Mesarawon Poro in 1957. However, with the creation of Ondo State in 1976, it was changed to Perebiyenmo Ruling House by the then Agadagba, Pere D. M. E. Eperetun at the Morgan Chieftaincy Review Commission of 1977. The above, thus, created disquiet within the adherents of the former and the latter. Yet, existing works failed to pay adequate attention to the impasse necessitated by the above singular act. This work, therefore, interrogates the conflicts caused by the alteration between 1977, when it was effected, and 2018, when another ruler was installed with the latter identity. The historical method was adopted; data collected from primary and secondary sources, which included oral interviews, archival materials, books, journal and doctoral theses were, scrutinised. The work revealed that the change of Perebiri Ruling House to Perebiyenmo Ruling House laid the historical background to the conflict. The demise of Eperetun in 2007, and the attempt to fill the vacuum in the name of Perebiyenmo Ruling House ignited further succession crises. Though not yet abated, the incumbent Agadagba of Arogbo-Ijo, Pere Z. D. Egbunu was installed with the identity of Perebiyenmo in 2018. The work, therefore, concluded that the rift was generated by the change, the then incumbent Pere Epertun carried out in 1977.