December 29, (THEWILL) – The kingmakers of Ilesa have elected former Osun State deputy governor, Prince Adesuyi Haastrup, as the Owa-Obokun of Ijesaland.
He was elected after defeating nine other candidates who contested with him from the same Owa Bilaro Olu-Odo ruling house, including Pastor Bayo Adeyokunnu, a deputy continental overseer of RCCG in the United States, who joined the tightly contested race for who will replace Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, the late Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland, Osun State.
Adeyokunnu is an in-law to Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, the General Overseer of RCCG.
Although Isaac Haastrup, the public relations officer of the ruling house, said the kingmakers elected the Prince in a free and fair election held at the Ilesa-West Local Government Secretariat on Friday, THEWILL reliably gathered that Haastrup’s former political position as the deputy governor of Osun State during the tenure of late Isiaka Adeleke worked in his favour.
It is no news that governors, more or less ratify the appointment of traditional rulers regardless of what the kingmakers may say. Sources close to THEWILL revealed that the current governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, exercised his powers to reward Haastrup, who was loyal to his late brother during his time as governor.
57-year-old Haastrup, a pastor in RCCG, serves as the Regional Administrator of RCCG and is the Pastor-in-Charge of a Zone in Delta State.
Before joining RCCG, Haastrup worked across Nigeria as a manager, administrator and accountant. He holds a B.Sc. in Business Administration and is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (ACIPM), among other professional bodies.
He is from the family of the Late Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesa Land, Oba Frederick Kumokun Adedeji Haastrup, Ajimoko I, of the Bilaro Royal Ruling House in Ilesa. His father was Prince Samuel Adetunji Haastrup and he passed away in 2018.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
