Seven persons have indicated interest in the Olupele of Ipele stool in Ondo State, seven months after the demise of the last monarch, Oba Victor Agaun.
They are Olatunbosun Isijola, Ayodele Oginni, Olabode Olatosin, Olukayode Dairo, Olusola Ayuba, Samuel Daramola and Temitope Abu. They are from the Okeriwo Ruling House, which is the next in line for the stool.
They were nominated at a November 28 meeting held at St Stephen Anglican Church.
Two representatives of Owo Local Government, Kola Akinkoye and Mrs Olayemi Yusuf, attended the meeting.
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The nominees took turns to present their plans and programmes of action for the development of the town at the occasion.
Vicar of the Church, Dr. Olatunde Abiodun, exhorted the kingmakers to do the right thing and shun pecuniary gain, while urging the nominees not to regard the contest as a matter of life and death.
Eight kingmakers, including Chief Adewunmi Abitoye, former Minister of State for Education, are expected to select a winner from the seven contestants.
A former Daily Times Editor, Mr Dapo Aderinola, who is from Ipele, said the exercise went well.
Notable sons of Ipele include the late Chief M.O. Feyide, Africa’s first petroleum engineer and Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Secretary–General; the late Prof J.A. Majasan, Africa’s first professor of Geography; Senator Titus Olupitan and the late Akinola Lasekan (Akin Lash), a famous artist, among others.