By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The life of Oba Adegboyega Famodun, the 30th Owa of Igbajo, was a study in political dexterity, legal endurance, and a remarkable transition of power.
He was a man who, in the eyes of many, managed the impossible: to have his cake, both in the cutthroat realm of partisan politics and the sacred sanctuary of the traditional stool, and somehow still keep it.
This extraordinary trajectory made his eventual transition, on Friday, November 28, 2025, at the age of 67, a moment of profound reflection in Osun State and beyond.
A Transition from Power to Throne
For years, Dr. Adegboyega Famodun was a towering figure in the political landscape of Osun State, serving as the powerful Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This was a highly visible, demanding, and arguably consuming role that placed him at the heart of state governance and political struggle. However, the call of ancestry proved stronger than the allure of the party secretariat.
In a move that surprised many observers, Famodun transitioned from a political kingmaker to a traditional monarch.
His installation as the Owa of Igbajo on November 24, 2022, by then-Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, was not just a change of title; rather, it represented a rare feat where a top political operative successfully exchanged his party flag for a traditional staff. Therefore, the first layer of the titular paradox—eating the political cake by serving at its highest level, yet still having the ancestral one through his enthronement—was established.
The Legal Tussle: The Cake Under Siege
Famodun’s reign, nevertheless, was anything but peaceful. It became a battleground of traditional and modern governance. Immediately after the change in state administration, his ascension was challenged.
A government White Paper was issued, effectively voiding his appointment as part of a review of chieftaincy matters. This move aimed to strip him of the royal cake he had just claimed.
Subsequently, the royal tussle escalated into a protracted legal warfare. Famodun, determined not to relinquish the throne, fought fiercely to reclaim the crown.
Eventually, in a significant legal victory, an Osun State High Court reinstated him on January 30, 2025, affirming his position amidst the political and judicial controversies.
This judicial affirmation meant that despite the state government’s decision to remove him, he had legally, at least for a period, managed to “have his cake”—the Obaship—after it had supposedly been politically taken away, or “eaten” by the counteraction. Indeed, he was able to remain the Owa in the face of strong opposition, a feat that cemented his reputation as a formidable personality.
The Finality of Transition
The turbulent yet tenacious life of Oba Famodun came to an end on November 28, 2025. His passing, after a brief illness, brought a halt to the legal appeals the state government had lodged against his reinstatement. Thus, the ultimate end to the Igbajo Obaship tussle was determined not by the courts, but by nature itself. The paradox of the man who “ate his cake and still had it” is perfectly embodied in his legacy.
He devoted years to high-octane partisan politics (eating the cake), yet secured and fiercely defended a revered traditional title (still having it). He was removed from the throne by a government white paper (eating the cake), only to be legally reinstated by the judiciary (still having it). Ultimately, Oba Adegboyega Famodun’s story is a compelling chronicle of ambition, political courage, and the sheer will to keep the prize, a narrative that will forever echo in the ancient town of Igbajo.
