Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo III

Who is Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo III?

Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo III was elected the Alake of Egbaland, based in Abeokuta, Nigeria on 2 August 2005. He scored 15 out of 23 votes in an election conducted by the Egba kingmakers, defeating eight competitors including his younger brother, Adeleke.

Gbadebo was born on 14 September 1943, and is from the Laarun Ruling House. He is a grandson of the sixth Alake of Egbaland, Oba Gbadebo, who ruled from 1898 to 1920, and is a nephew of Oba Gbadebo II. He attended the Baptist Boys’ High School in Abeokuta, then went on the University of Ibadan in 1965, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969. He joined the army in 1969, and attended the Command and Staff College, Jaji from September 1978 to August 1979. Gbadebo eventually became a Principal Staff Officer to Major-General Tunde Idiagbon, the Chief of Staff at the Supreme Headquarters, Dodan Barracks, from January 1984 to September 1985. He retired from the army as a Colonel.

Gbadebo's election as Alake in August 2005 ended a six-month period of uncertainty about who would succeed the former Alake, Oba Oyebade Lipede, who died on 3 February 2005. In April 2010 a dispute between Gbadebo and the Olu of Igbein, Oba Festus Oluwole Makinde, was taken to the Supreme Court at Abeokuta. The Olu of Igbein was contesting an attempt by the Alake to change his title from Olu of Igbein to Olu of Mowe, a change which would affect his rights to use certain traditional symbols including the Igbein stool.