Oyo Council of Obas: Outrage as Olubadan Takes Chair Over Alaafin

ByNewsmakers

Jan 15, 2026 #Alaafin of Oyo, #Alaafin status debate, #Alaafin Stool, #Ibadan monarch, #Ibadan vs Oyo debate, #Makinde traditional institution reforms, #Nigeria traditional rulers, #Olubadan chairman, #Olubadan of Ibadanland, #Oyo Council of Obas and Chiefs Law, #Oyo Forum Abuja, #Oyo kingdom history, #Oyo politics and monarchy, #Oyo State chieftaincy law amendment, #Oyo State Council of Obas, #Oyo State Government, #Oyo State House of Assembly, #Oyo State news, #Oyo traditional council controversy, #rotational chairmanship, #Seyi Makinde, #traditional rulers in Oyo, #Yoruba culture and tradition, #Yoruba monarchs

Segun Atanda/

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has inaugurated the maiden Oyo State Council of Obas, marking what the government described as a new era in the administration of traditional institutions in the state.

At the inauguration, the Olubadan of Ibadanland was appointed chairman of the council for a two-year tenure.

Under the new arrangement, leadership of the council is expected to rotate among the monarchs, a move the state government said is intended to promote inclusiveness among traditional rulers.

However, the development has triggered stiff opposition from the Oyo Forum, Abuja, a group of prominent indigenes of Oyo State, which expressed concern over the proposed amendment to the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs Law.
The group warned that introducing a rotational chairmanship could erode the historical and cultural primacy of the Alaafin of Oyo, insisting that the revered stool is far more than a local or political institution.

In a statement jointly signed by the Forum’s Chairman, Engineer Segun Owolabi, and its Media and Publicity Chairman, Ambassador Tunde Mustapha, the group urged Makinde not to assent to the bill, which has already been passed by the Oyo State House of Assembly and is currently awaiting the governor’s approval.
The Forum stressed that the Alaafin institution is deeply rooted in pre-colonial Yoruba history, carrying profound spiritual, ancestral and cultural significance to the Yoruba people.

According to the group, turning the chairmanship into a rotational position risks diminishing the respect and heritage attached to a stool widely regarded as symbolic of the identity and history of the Yoruba race.

The Forum further warned that any move perceived as lowering the status of the Alaafin could ignite cultural tension and undermine long-standing traditions cherished across Yorubaland.