The Serving Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has paid tribute to the late Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, recalling his role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress.

Adetona passed on Sunday, July 13, 2025, a date which Bakare said holds deep personal and national significance.

In a tribute titled, “Tribute to a Patriot, Mentor and Elder Statesman — The Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebu Land,” a copy of which was made available to The PUNCH on Monday, the cleric revealed that Oba Adetona played a critical role in the formation of the APC.

He said, “What many Nigerians may not know is that without Awujale’s pivotal intervention, the APC might not have emerged as a political party.”

Recounting events after the 2011 general election, Bakare said he met with the monarch in London and urged him to initiate talks between the CPC and the Action Congress of Nigeria, led by President Bola Tinubu.

“Upon his return to Nigeria, Kabiyesi convened a key meeting at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island and brokered the agreement that led to the formation of the APC,” Bakare stated.

He added that despite this monumental role, “Kabiyesi was non-partisan, supporting any course he thought would facilitate good governance, strengthen the national interest, foster peace and further the course of building a united Nigeria.”

Bakare described the deceased monarch as “a patriot, mentor and elder statesman” whose death marked the end of an era in Nigeria’s political and cultural history.

He expressed sorrow at Awujale’s passing while thanking God for a life he described as “well lived.”

He said, “It is with profound gratitude to God for a life well lived and yet with deep sadness at the loss of a father figure that I pay tribute to Kabiyesi Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona.

“May the noble soul of Kabiyesi rest in perfect peace. May God strengthen and comfort Olori Adetona, their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the extended royal family he leaves behind.”

In the same light, the Coalition of Yoruba Youth Leaders Forum described the late monarch as a royal father of distinction, a custodian of truth, and a beacon of courageous and progressive traditional leadership.

“His reign, which spanned over six decades, brought dignity, modernisation, and influence to the throne of Ijebuland and beyond,” the forum’s President General, Prof Tolani Hassan, and General Secretary, Abdulhakeem Adeleke, said in a Monday statement.

The forum described the late king as a bold voice in national affairs, a firm defender of justice, and an unrelenting advocate for Yoruba unity and cultural advancement.

The statement added, “Oba Adetona exemplified the rare blend of royalty and reform. He was a monarch who modernised the role of traditional rulers without compromising the essence of heritage. His wisdom, charisma, and principled stance on matters of governance earned him national and international respect.

“As youths dedicated to promoting Yoruba heritage and integrity-driven leadership, we consider his death a monumental loss not only to the Ijebu people but to the entire Yoruba race and Nigeria at large..”