Ola Akinwunmi
In a ceremony held at the Exco Chambers of the Governor’s office in Ibadan, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde presented the staff and instrument of office to the newly appointed Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade.
This formal presentation marks a significant milestone in the transition process.
The event was attended by prominent figures, including Deputy Governor Barrister Bayo-Lawal, former Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, and High Chiefs from Oyo Town. Also in attendance was Prof. Wande Abimbola, the revered Ifa Custodian who played a crucial role in the selection process of the new Alaafin.
Notably, the appointment of Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade as the new Alaafin has been met with some controversy, with some kingmakers rejecting his appointment.
However, Governor Makinde’s presentation of the staff of office formally recognizes Owoade as the 46th Alaafin of Oyo.
The Oyomesi chiefs (kingmakers) have rejected the appointment of Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo.
In a statement by Dotun Oyelade, the commissioner for information and orientation, Makinde said the approval followed divinations, consultations, and recommendations from the kingmakers.
However, in a letter addressed to the governor, five out of seven members of the Oyomesi described Owoade’s appointment as illegal and invalid. The aggrieved kingmakers, in the letter written by Adekunle Sobaloju, their legal counsel, said they recommended Luqman Gbadegesin, not Owoade, to the state government as Alaafin.
They argued that the occupant of the stool is chosen in compliance with the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967, not by consultation or divination as stated by Makinde. They added that only the Bashorun, head of the Oyomesi, can convene a meeting to elect an Alaafin, arguing that any meeting Makinde convened is null and void.
The kingmakers in the faction include Yusuf Akinade (Bashorun), Wakeel Akindele (Lagunna), Hamzat Yusuf (Akinniku), Wahab Oyetunji, a warrant chief standing in for Asipa, and Gbadebo Mufutau, a warrant chief standing in for Alapinni.
You will recall that on 30th September 2022, at the meeting of the Kingmakers in accordance with the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration, 1961, the Kingmakers appointed Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin as the Alaafin of Oyo by a majority of the lawful votes of the Kingmakers,” the letter reads.
Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin, having obtained the majority of votes of the Kingmakers present and voting, was deemed appointed, and his name was forwarded to Your Excellency as the candidate appointed by the Kingmakers as Alaafin of Oyo for your approval, which you refused to approve for no disclosed reason at all.
The Kingmakers thereafter filed an action to stop Your Excellency from truncating the process, culminating in the current appeal before the Court of Appeal.
We must emphatically state that the Alaafin is not chosen by consultation or divination but in strict compliance with the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967, which codifies the native law and custom governing the selection process for the vacant stool of the Alaafin.
Under the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967, it is only the Bashorun of Oyo, the head of the Oyomesi and Kingmakers, that can summon a meeting of the Kingmakers for the purpose of selecting a candidate to fill the vacant stool of the Alaafin of Oyo.
In this instance, the Bashorun did not summon any such meeting, nor was there any meeting convened in the Alaafin’s palace, as custom demands, where the said Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade was selected or appointed as the new Alaafin.
Any meeting of a few kingmakers and emergency warrant chiefs held at the Governor’s office on the 9th of January, 2025, or elsewhere at the instance of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, to select the preferred candidate of the Governor as the new Alaafin is not only contrary to the native law and custom and Chieftaincy Declaration of Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy but unlawful, illegal, invalid, null, and void.
It is not the duty of the Governor to convene the meeting of a few kingmakers and emergency warrant chiefs to select or appoint a new Alaafin on the 9th of January, 2025, and hurriedly approve the appointment on the 10th of January, 2025.
The kingmakers called on the Governor to retrace his steps or face legal action. They also urged the public to remain calm and embrace law and order in the face of recent developments.
Your Excellency’s unilateral decision to appoint and/or approve the appointment of Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade, without due regard for the provisions of the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967 and pending application for injunction pending appeal, may go down in history as the worst executive recklessness and disregard for the integrity of the court ever exhibited by a sitting Governor,” the letter reads further.
Sir, Your Excellency cannot sit in Your office and handpick the Alaafin, disregarding the established customs and traditions of the Oyo Kingdom.”
