By Jide Bada
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, was conspicuously absent when Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State inaugurated the maiden edition of the rotational Oyo State Council of Obas, and appointed the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, as chairman of the council for an initial two-year term.
The inauguration was held at the House of Chiefs Hall, State Secretariat, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Oba Owoade is one of the leading monarchs designated under the new rotational arrangement.
The inauguration follows the recent passage of an amendment to the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs Law by the Oyo State House of Assembly, which introduced a rotational chairmanship arrangement among first-class traditional rulers in the state.
Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Makinde explained that the rotational chairmanship was introduced to foster fairness, unity, and effective leadership among the traditional rulers.
“I called the monarchs that we proposed in the law that the chairmanship of the Council of Obas will rotate every two years,” Makinde said. “This is what we are known for. If we fail to resolve issues and do what is right and proper for our people, then we have failed.”
The governor added that consultations were held with the three monarchs affected by the law.
“I consulted my three fathers—the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, and the Soun of Ogbomosoland—and we agreed that the rotation should commence with Kabiyesi, the Olubadan of Ibadan,” he stated.
Makinde subsequently declared the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs formally inaugurated.
However, the development has continued to generate reactions, with
Shortly before the commencement of the inauguration, the Oyo Forum had expressed strong opposition to the rotational chairmanship clause. The group urged Governor Makinde to withhold assent to the amended law, warning that the provision could undermine the historical and cultural significance of the Alaafin of Oyo stool.
In a statement jointly signed by the Forum’s Chairman, Engineer Segun Owolabi, and its Chairman of Media and Publicity, Ambassador Tunde Mustapha, the group argued that the Alaafin institution holds symbolic and ancestral relevance beyond Oyo State and across the entire Yoruba nation.
According to the statement, “The Alaafin institution transcends the boundaries of Oyo State, holding symbolic and ancestral relevance for the entire Yoruba race. To reduce it to a rotating political office is to desecrate a legacy that predates Nigeria’s modern history.”
Despite the objections, Governor Makinde proceeded with the inauguration of the council, marking the formal commencement of the rotational leadership structure. Further details on the implementation of the new arrangement are expected to emerge in the coming days.
Oba Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo State, ascended the throne as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland in September 2025, following the death of Oba Owolabi Olakulehin.
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