The inauguration of Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, as the new Chairman of the Council of Obas and Chiefs in Oyo State by Seyi Makinde, Oyo State Governor, on January 15, 2026, has sparked controversies, even after maintaining that it is a rotational post among three leading traditional rulers - Alaafin of Oyo, Olubadan and Soun of Ogbomoso - with each serving a two year term.
Although, different reactions as well as rejections have surfaced on the internet, questioning the basis of the inauguration, the parameters for the selection of the three obas involved in the rotation, the essence of the council, also relating it to nullification of historical legacies that have upheld the position of Alaafin as the highest in the hierarchy of the traditional council over the years.
During the inauguration, Makinde stated that the Council of Obas & Chiefs last met in 2011. He said the success of his administration could be traced to the stability of traditional Institutions in the state.
“...But we know that some of the things we have been able to achieve as an administration can be traced to our traditional institution.”
The video clip of the inauguration can be found here. On X (formerly Twitter) of Seyi Makinde, this could also be seen.
How It Started
The council's reawakening began in 2011 under Late Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala. In 2023, it was reported that the bill's passage into law was forthcoming. The governor talked about previous failed attempts, stating that his government allowed due process to protect all stakeholders' interests.
Regarding the inauguration's constitutional implications, Governor Seyi Makinde explained the law's necessity.
He said:
“We must have a law in Oyo State that allows the smooth running of the traditional council, which is important. Before I came in, the traditional council was not functioning, but now they can function, and with that law, you remember that the previous administration tried to reform the traditional council system, especially in Ibadanland, and the government gave coronets to some High Chiefs.”
Makinde added that amongst the High Chiefs, one went to court, and the Oyo State Court decided that the previous administration neglected what was on ground. He said for the current administration, which is under his leadership, they will follow their recognised law to the letter.
However, in May, 2025, Radio Nigeria Ibadan Zonal Station published a report disclosing how the Bill had been passed to the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters for scrutiny.
From the report, it presented Alaafin of Oyo as the Presiding Authority while in his absence, the Olubadan of Ibadanland shall fill in to preside over the council. If both traditional rulers are absent, the Soun of Ogbomoso shall preside as the Chairman of the council.
No Room for Primitive Supremacy
A counter report saw the light of the day as leaders from Ibadan and Ogbomoso axis opposed making Alaafin the permanent Chairman of Oyo State Traditional Council.
The statement from traditional leaders and stakeholders from Ibadanland and Ogbomosoland was jointly signed by Mogajis, Baales, Monarchs, the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, the Ibadan Compounds Peace Initiative and prominent sons and daughters of Ibadanland, along with Mogajis in Ibadan and Ruling Houses of Ogbomoso.
Their concern was that designating the Alaafin as permanent chairman would disregard historical development of Yoruba traditional structure, particularly after the old Oyo Empire's downfall in 1837.
According to them, history has shown that the Oyo's supremacy ended with the Fulani’s invasion of Oyo-Ile, after which other Yoruba towns like Ibadan and Ogbomoso gained historical prominence.
They argued that the current Oyo Kingdom, established in 1875 by Alaafin Atiba, is different from the Oyo Empire under Alaafin Oranmiyan.
Legislative Backing
After serious engagement, the Oyo State House of Assembly's 30 out of 32 members supported the bill to make the chairmanship rotational, two walked out in protest.
The Oyo State Chieftaincy Law was amended contrary to the 2000 Law that made Alaafin permanent chairman of the council. The 2011 amendment had generated heated arguments, making them to draw back from the initial move.
In documenting Obas and Chiefs in the state, there's a compiled list of council members: forty-five members, ten Deputy Chairmen, and five Vice Chairmen here.
Alaafin’s Absence
This inauguration was meant to be attended by the three leading rulers recognized by law: Alaafin of Oyo, Olubadan and Soun of Ogbomoso, and Alaafin of Oyo.
However, Alaafin of Oyo's absence at the inauguration generated controversies, giving credence to existing disunity among Obas over the years. The council of obas has been tagged “non-functional” in the state for the past 15 years due to lack of consensus on having a Chairman here.
To resolve this, the bill passed by the Oyo State House of Assembly and approved by Seyi Makinde, Oyo State Governor, was implemented on January 15, 2026, announcing Oba Rashidi Ladoja as the pioneer Chairman.
This provides background context to what had existed in the past, from the court case to the bill proposal, its endorsement, and the palace's response questioning Oyo State Governor’s claim that the three monarchs were carried along.
‘I Never Had Meeting With the Governor or Any Traditional Ruler’ - Alaafin
Shortly after the statement and inauguration, Bode Durojaiye, Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Paramount Ruler of Oyo Kingdom and Superior Head of Yorubaland, issued a press statement debunking the governor's claim.
“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 1, held any meeting with either the State Governor or any of the two traditional rulers mentioned above. “Also, the Alaafin did not tell the Governor or make a categorical statement on his endorsement of rotational Chairmanship among the three traditional rulers in the State. “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.”
The Governor said he consulted the three monarchs involved in the chairmanship rotation, with confirmation that the decision was agreed upon to have Olubadan as the Chairman for two years before another bi-annual rotation.
According to him:
“So I consulted, because one of the issues that truncated the council of obas in 2011, was the issue of the headship, rotational, so after I signed, I called the three kings that were proposed in the law for the rotation of the chairmanship, and I believe from the law, it is for every two years that we will rotate…” “I consulted the three fathers, Alaafin of Oyo, Kabiyesi Olubadan, and Kabiyesi Soun, and the agreement was that they will start the rotation with Kabiyesi Olubadan of Ibadan land…”
Oyomesi’s Presence During Inauguration
To further examine the validity of the press statement that was shared by Bode Durojaiye - the public - has raised a question about what the presence of the members of the Oyomesi; Iba Saamu, Agbaakin, as well as Alago-Oja, are doing at the venue of the inauguration.
This situation, in its complexity, leaves everyone in the dark, making it hard to deduce a conclusion.
Reactions from Major Stakeholders in Oyo
A major reaction from concerned stakeholders about the preservation of the Kingship legacy, Oyo Scholars Congress and the Oyo Global Forum have come out with a joint statement, rejecting the rotational chairmanship of the Oyo State Council of Obas, further describing it as “a regrettable act of historical vandalism and cultural philistinism.”
The civil society groups opposed the arrangement which places the Alaafin's throne on the same level with other traditional rulers “constitute a serious misreading of Yoruba political tradition.”
According to the statement signed by Professor Seun Kolade and Mr Taiwo Hassan Adebayo, Chairman, Oyo Global Forum:
“The throne of the Alaafin does not lend itself to parity arrangements that flatten history or blur civilisational order.”
The statement went further to emphasise that the Alaafin “occupies a singular place as the apex historical institution of Yoruba kingship,” while calling on Governor Seyi Makinde to immediately reverse the policy and restore the historically settled pre-eminence of the Alaafin as the permanent chairman of the council.
They commended Oba Akeem Owoade, the Alaafin of Oyo, for clearing the air that he endorsed the rotational arrangement, stating that his absence from the January 15th inauguration had a significant meaning. They described his absence as reflecting “a deeper rupture in the moral grammar of Yoruba kingship, where authority is grounded not in rotation or regulation, but in lineage, memory, and sacred continuity.”
Both organizations are standing in solidarity with the Alaafin, recognizing his conduct as “exemplary of the wisdom, patience, and custodianship that have long defined the Alaafin institution.”
They have warned that reforms divorced from history amount to erasure, asking:
“What becomes of a people when their history is treated as negotiable?”
While maintaining that people without history risk losing their identity.
Further reaction from Olamilekan Oladipupo Phd, an Oyo Indigene, who made a critical observation:
“Away from all the writeup i have seen online and agitation from my People, I have a little concern. If Baba Bode Durojaiye claims in his watery, disjointed press release that Alaafin is unaware of the shenanigans and charade displayed by the Governor yesterday, then explain this picture.”
His reaction via his facebook page questions the presence of Ibà Sàámu - a member of Oyomesi - who was spotted at the scene of the Inauguration.
Also, another Oyo indigene, Ayélabégàn Akínkúnmi Abbas, on his page wrote about the rotational chairmanship of the State Council of Obas and Chiefs, and describing it as “an affront to the historical foundation of the Yoruba people.”
He asked the stakeholders to stand against what he termed as marginalization of Oyo to restore the permanent chairmanship.
Prince Ayobami Sanda Ladigbolu, PhD, from Oridota Compound, Oyo, has also called for unity and restraint in Oyo and Yorubaland, urging stakeholders to end comparisons between the late Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi III and the reigning Alaafin Abimbola Akeem Owoade I.
Ladigbolu stated that such comparisons “neither strengthen the throne nor serve the future of Oyo and Yorubaland, he insisted that the greatness on the throne is cultivated through patience, learning, and experience rather than instant achievement.
He defended the historical position of the Oyo throne and praised Alaafin for standing tall.
“What you defend is not supremacy, but heritage; not conquest, but continuity; not domination, but dignity”
He challenged critics to provide evidence of the monarch seeking dominance.
He said undermining the king weakens the institution and diminishes collective identity, advising all quarters to rally behind Oba Owoade as a symbol of Oyo history and Yoruba civilization.
