Crisis Brews As Alaafin Denies Backing Rotational Chairmanship In Oyo Obas Council

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has refuted reports suggesting that he held discussions with Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, or endorsed the rotational chairmanship arrangement of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.

According to Ireporter Online, the clarification was conveyed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Bode Durojaiye. The palace explained that it was responding to claims attributed to Governor Makinde, in which he was reported to have said he consulted the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, and the Soun of Ogbomoso regarding the rotational leadership of the council.

The palace categorically dismissed the claim, stating that no such meeting ever took place between the Alaafin and the governor, nor with any of the traditional rulers mentioned. It stressed that the Alaafin neither met with the governor nor made any statement supporting a rotational chairmanship arrangement for the council.

The statement further emphasized that the Alaafin’s position on the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs had already been clearly articulated and formally communicated. According to the palace, the official stance of the Alaafin and the Oyo community was conveyed in a memorandum submitted to the governor by the Oyo Council of Elders.

Although the contents of the memorandum were not disclosed, the palace maintained that it represents the definitive position of the Alaafin and the people of Oyo on the matter.

The controversy follows the recent inauguration of the Oyo State Council of Obas by Governor Makinde, during which the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Akanmu Ladoja, was appointed chairman of the council for a two-year term. The governor announced that leadership of the council would rotate among the Olubadan, the Alaafin of Oyo, and the Soun of Ogbomoso, with each monarch serving a two-year tenure.

The announcement was made at a ceremony held at the House of Chiefs in Agodi, Ibadan, attended by several traditional rulers and dignitaries. Governor Makinde said the rotational system was designed to promote unity, cooperation, and shared responsibility among traditional institutions in the state.

However, the absence of the Alaafin at the event drew public attention and fueled further debate. Opposition to the proposed rotational chairmanship has also emerged from the Oyo Forum, Abuja, a body of prominent Oyo indigenes. In a joint statement signed by its Chairman, Engineer Segun Owolabi, and Media and Publicity Chairman, Ambassador Tunde Mustapha, the forum expressed concern that the arrangement could diminish the historical and cultural significance of the Alaafin stool.

The group urged Governor Makinde to withhold assent to the bill seeking to amend the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs Law, warning that reducing the Alaafin’s role to a rotational position could undermine an institution regarded as a symbol of spiritual, ancestral, and historical leadership within Yoruba history.