Ogun monarch gives Adebutu, wife and other PDP leaders chieftaincy titles
- Ogun PDP governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu and his wife received chieftaincy titles from the Osile of Oke-Ona Egba in Abeokuta on Thursday.
- Senator Iyabo Obasanjo and other Ogun PDP leaders were also honoured at the palace ceremony in Oke-Abeokuta.
- The monarch said the titles go to people whose conduct and service the traditional institution has watched and trusts.
The Oladipupo Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party's governorship candidate in Ogun State, has been given a traditional title by the Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, the Oke-Ona Egba monarch in Abeokuta.
The installation took place on Thursday at the palace in Sapon, Abeokuta, where Adebutu received the title of Lisa Aje of Oke-Ona Egba. His wife, Adenike Omolola Adebutu, was installed as Yeye Lisa Aje of Oke-Ona Egba.
Several other PDP figures in the state were honoured at the same ceremony. Senator Iyabo Obasanjo became Okanlomo Obinrin of Oke-Ona Egba, while the party's state chairman, Dr Abayomi Tella, was installed as Fiwagbola of Oke-Ona Egba.
Alhaja Lateefat Sowunmi-Kolapo, the party's deputy governorship candidate, received the title of Olu Nla Obinrin of Oke-Ona Egba. Arch. Dele Olaleye became Sesogbayi, Ambassador Folake Marcus-Bello was installed as Oluomo Obinrin, and Chief Abiodun Ogunremi took the title of Otun Olu-Nla of Oke-Ona Egba.
Traditional rulers, community leaders and a large turnout of Ogun PDP members witnessed the event. The monarch presented certificates to the new titleholders and performed the traditional rites that go with the installation.
Why the titles matter
Oba Tejuoso said the honours are not handed out for ceremony alone. In his words, they go to people whose conduct, reputation and service have won the confidence of the traditional institution.
He described Adebutu as a man whose record has been followed over time and who can be trusted. He prayed that the honour would bring development to Oke-Ona and Ogun State, and would not bring shame to the new titleholders or their families.
Adebutu thanked the monarch and the Oke-Ona Egba institution, saying he treats the title as a duty rather than a prize. He said it reminds him that people expect more from those given positions of honour, and promised to keep contributing to the growth of Egbaland and Ogun State.
The ceremony comes as Adebutu's political future remains unsettled. He won the PDP's governorship primary in May to become the party's candidate for the 2027 election, but his name was left off the Independent National Electoral Commission's list of governorship candidates for the February 2027 poll.
INEC rejected his petition over the omission, according to Punch, while Adebutu insists he remains the party's duly nominated candidate. The sources do not say how or when that dispute will be resolved.
Thursday's event is not Adebutu's first traditional honour this year. In September, he and his wife were installed as Gbademu and Yeye Gbademu of Owu Kingdom by the Olowu of Owu, Oba Saka Matemilola, at a ceremony in Abeokuta.
What happens next
The new titleholders are expected to take up roles in the development of Oke-Ona Egba and Egbaland, as the monarch urged. For Adebutu, the bigger question remains his place on the 2027 ballot, which the sources say is still unresolved.
