Alaafin Boycotts Olubadan’s Inauguration as Oyo Council of Obas Chairman

Segun Atanda/

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, was conspicuously absent on Thursday as Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, inaugurated the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, as chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.

The ceremony marked the formal commencement of a new rotational leadership system for the traditional council.

Oba Ladoja was sworn in at a ceremony held in Ibadan, the state capital, to serve a two year term as council chairman, following the recent passage of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs (Further Amendments) Law, 2025, by the House of Assembly.

The law retains and operationalises a rotational chairmanship arrangement among the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland and the Soun of Ogbomoso.

The Alaafin’s absence, though not officially explained, has drawn attention given the historical position of the Oyo monarch as the permanent chairman of the council since Osun State was carved out of the old Oyo State in 1991, reflecting the historical primacy of the Oyo Empire in Yoruba political and cultural history.

For decades after state creation, the Alaafin retained that leadership role, even as Ibadan and Ogbomoso grew in demographic, political and economic influence.

Successive administrations maintained the arrangement, viewing it as a stabilising symbol of continuity and hierarchy within the traditional institution.

The introduction of a rotational chairmanship has therefore represented a significant shift.

While proponents argue that it reflects modern political realities and promotes equity among the state’s foremost monarchs, critics see it as a dilution of the Alaafin’s historic authority and the traditional order inherited from pre colonial and colonial governance structures.

Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo State, ascended the throne in September 2025 as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland, succeeding the late Oba Owolabi Olakulehin. His installation as council chairman marks the first full implementation of the amended law.

The Soun of Ogbomoso is expected to assume the chairmanship at a later stage under the rotational framework.

Governor Makinde has consistently defended the reform, describing it as an administrative decision aimed at strengthening traditional governance and fostering inclusivity among royal institutions in the state.

He has insisted that the law does not diminish any monarch but aligns the council with democratic balance and contemporary governance standards.

Nonetheless, the Alaafin’s decision to stay away from the inauguration is widely interpreted as a symbolic protest and underscores lingering tensions over the redefinition of authority within Oyo State’s traditional hierarchy.

Observers say the episode highlights the delicate balance between historical legitimacy and evolving political arrangements, and signals that the debate over the role and ranking of traditional rulers in Oyo State is far from settled.