The controversy surrounding the inauguration of the new Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs deepened on Thursday evening, as the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Engineer Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, publicly debunked claims by Governor Seyi Makinde that he was consulted regarding the new rotational chairmanship arrangement.
The monarch, explaining the reason for his conspicuous absence at the inauguration ceremony held in Ibadan, stated categorically that he never endorsed the rotation of the Council’s leadership among the Alaafin, the Olubadan, and the Soun of Ogbomoso.
Recall that earlier on Thursday, Governor Makinde inaugurated the Council with the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, as the pioneer chairman for a two-year tenure. During the event, the Governor had intimated that the new arrangement was a product of consultation with the three foremost traditional rulers in the state.
However, in a swift reaction contained in a statement signed by the Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Bode Durojaiye, the Palace described the Governor’s claim as inaccurate.
The statement read in part: “The attention of the Alaafin’s Palace has been drawn to a statement credited to His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde that he consulted with the three traditional rulers in the State, the Alaafin, the Olubadan and the Soun of Ogbomoso on the rotational Chairmanship of the State Council of Obas and Chiefs.”
“The Palace hereby wants to state clearly that there was no time that His Imperial Majesty, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Engineer Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, held any meeting with either the State Governor or any of the two traditional rulers mentioned above.”
The Palace further emphasised that the Alaafin did not make any categorical statement endorsing the rotational chairmanship, effectively distancing the monarch from the new law implemented by the state government.
Regarding the official stance of the Oyo kingdom on the restructuring of the Council, the statement referred the government to a document already submitted to the Governor.
“The position of the Alaafin and the Entire Oyo Community on the general issue of the State Council of Obas and Chiefs has been enunciated in a Memo delivered to His Excellency by the Oyo Council of Elders,” Durojaiye added.
Notably, the statement was signed off with the title: “Alaafin, Paramount Ruler of Oyo Kingdom and the Superior Head of Yorubaland,” a designation that underscores the underlying tension regarding hierarchy and supremacy among the state’s traditional institutions.