As 31st Class Obas Want To Join Chairmanship Rotation
Why Gov. MAKINDE Is Under Pressure
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is presently at the center of a brewing storm. And this is not unconnected with the controversy that the amended bill of the state’s traditional council has generated. The Council of Obas and Chiefs (further amendment) Bill 2025 was recently passed into law by the Oyo State House of Assembly.
In the amended bill, the chairmanship position of the Council will now be rotated among the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland and the Soun of Ogbomosoland.
This came after the earlier proposal by the House to making Alaafin the permanent chairman, with Olubadan and Soun concurrent chairmen was met with a strong condemnation in some quarters, especially from Olubadan and Soun’s camps.
What the final resolution of the House means, however, is that the chairmanship position of the Oyo State Council of Obas will alternate among the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, and the Soun of Ogbomoso every two years. It was exclusively stated in the bill that the Alaafin of Oyo shall preside over all council meetings, while in his absence, the Olubadan of Ibadan shall preside, and if both the Alaafin and Olubadan are absent, the Soun of Ogbomoso shall preside.
The bill didn’t only cancel the permanent presiding officer role initially vested in the Alaafin but also states that the 10 beaded crown-wearing Ibadan Obas, ‘ Samu and Agbakin be included as members of the Council of Obas and Chiefs.
In that light, the membership of the Council has been expanded from 35 to 41, “to foster inclusivity and provide broader representation for traditional leaders across Oyo State” according to the Speaker of the House.
Among the newly added members are the Olu of Igboora, the Onilala of Lanlate, and the Alado of Ado-Awaye, as well as rotational representatives from various local governments.
The amendments also include provisions for deputy chairmanship and vice chairmanship, further structuring the leadership of the Council.
Under the revised Schedule II, Deputy Chairmanship positions are designated for the Eleruwa of Eruwa, the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Okere of Saki among others.
Members of the Council are: Alaafin of Oyo, Olubadan of Ibadan, Soun of Ogbomoso, Eleruwa of Eruwa, Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Okere of Saki, Aseyin of Iseyin, Onpetu of Ijeru, Aresaadu of Iresaadu, Iba of Kisi, Onjo of Okeho, Onikoyi of Ikoyi-lle, Sabiganna of Iganna, Balogun, Otun Olubadan, Olu of Igboora, Basorun of Oyo, Otun Balogun, Osi Olubadan, Alajaawa of Ajaawa, Onidere of Idere, Asigangan of Igangan, Onigbeti of Igbeti, Alepata/Ona Onibode/ Onigboho Onighope (to be rotated on 2 yearly basis to represent Oorelope Local Government), Oloja of Ago-Oja, Akibio of Ilora, Obalufon of Sepeteri/Oni Sanbo of Ogboro/Oloje of Oje-Owode/Alamodu of Agoamodu (to be rotated on 2 yearly basis to represent Saki East Local Government), Onitede of Tede/Are of Ago Are/Ajoriwin of Irawo (to be rotated on 2 yearly basis to represent Atisbo Local Government), Eleyinpo of Ipapo/Oluigbo of Igbojaye/Oniro of Otu/Olokaka of Okaka/Olugunwa of Okeamu (to be rotated on 2 yearly basis to represent Itesiwaju Local Government), Osi Balogun, Asipa Olubadan, Asipa Balogun, Ekerin Olubadan, Ekerin Balogun, Ekarun Olubadan, Onilala of Lanlate, Ekarun Balogun, Samu of Oyo, Agbaakin of Oyo, Alado of Ado Awaye/Alawaye of Awaye (to be rotated on 2 yearly basis) and Aale of Oke-Eleeri.
The Deputy Chairmen of the Council are: the Eleruwa of Eruwa, Olugbon of Ile-Igbon, Okere of Saki, Aseyin of Iseyin, Onpetu of Ijeru, Olu of Igboora, Oloja of Ago-Oja, Akibio of llora, Balogun of Ibadanland and Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland.
Vice Chairmen are: Onikoyi of Ikoyi-lle, Aresaadu of Iresaadu, Iba of Kisi, Asigangan of Igangan and Samu of Oyo.
While some see the amended bill as a welcome development, others are, however, against it. It’s been described in some quarters as a politically motivated move not only to strip Alaafia of his historical supremacy but also a plan to further strengthen Ibadan’s dominance over other zones in the state.
The believe, among those against the bill, is that it’s capable of reigniting the supremacy battle among the traditional rulers in the state rather than adding any positive value.
It would be recalled that a similar situation played out during the time of late former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala. Akala, the then out-going governor, in a political vendetta like manner, attempted to remove the immediate past Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi 111 as permanent chairman of Oyo Council of Obas with an amendment bill.
For decades, late Alaafin Adeyemi fought to assert his supremacy as the permanent chairman of the council of Obas in both the present Oyo State and the old Oyo State, where he was involved in intense rivalry with the late Ooni Okunade Sijuwade.
At some point in the old Oyo State, Alaafin Adeyemi had to drag former Governor Bola Ige to court to prevent him from appointing the Ooni as the Permanent Chairman of the Council.
Interestingly, the new amendment bill is coming amid the renewed controversy over supremacy between the Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin. Still very fresh is the backlashes on a recent viral video where the new Alaafin, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, was seen glued to his seat while exchanging pleasantries with Ooni, who walked up to the place where Alaafin was sitting at an event.
Following the passage of the bill, the Oyo Assembly has been bombarded with a lot of petitions. Some prominent traditional rulers in the state, including the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oba Francis Alao, have condemned the bill.
Speaking earlier before the bill was passed, Olugbon, in a statement by his Media Consultant, Bisi Oladele, described it as faulty, decrying inadequate consultation by the Assembly. He said the amendment further cemented Ibadans’ dominance over indigenes from other parts of the state.
“For such an important bill that seeks to revive and do justice to the Council of Obas and chiefs, the key stakeholders are the traditional rulers, who should have been adequately consulted before it was packaged. Besides, there should be a public hearing on the proposal.
“The actions on the bill so far clearly ignored the relevance of traditional rulers in Oyo State. It is openly based on political patronage.
“Should the bill be passed, indigenes of Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa zones will again become second-class indigenes in their own state, just as Ibadan indigenes have been dominating other parts of the state politically.
“The city has produced governors since 1999, except for the late Adebayo Alao-Akala.
“While there is a need for the council to be revived and strengthened, it should not be skewed in favour of a particular zone to further dominate other zones.
“It should reflect fairness, justice, equity, and possess the capacity to promote peace among traditional rulers in the state.” He stated.
Olugbon warned the lawmakers and other stakeholders to suspend work on the bill and consult widely to avoid passing a bill that would breed crisis among monarchs in the state.
Also reacting to the claim of historical significance of Ogbomoso by the mogajis of the town in their opposition to the bill, Oba Alao noted that should history alone be the factor of decision-making concerning the constitution of the council’s leadership, the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon would be ahead of the Soun of Ogbomoso.
“We should not forget that the current palace of the Soun of Ogbomoso sits on the land that falls within Olugbon’s kingdom.
“Orile-Igbon borders with Ijeru, which is also more ancient than Ogbomoso.
“But demography has kept Ogbomoso in a better standing than other towns and communities in the zone.
This is the reality all traditional rulers in the Ogbomoso zone accepted, and this accounts for why more ancient towns in the zone do not contend with the status accorded Soun in the Obas Council. We understand it as good for administrative and political convenience,” he added.
Oba Alao said Alaafin ran a huge kingdom with many other kingdoms under it, and believed Alaafin deserved the permanent chairmanship.
“Where is Soun’s kingdom? Where is Olubadan’s kingdom? Alaafin ran a huge kingdom with many other kingdoms under it.
“But we are putting the past behind us because the world is dynamic. Yet the honour must be there for the thrones that deserve it,” he added.
Meanwhile, as the conversations continue, more towns in the state have requested to be included in the co-chairmanship list. The other time, a group, the Ebedi Frontliners, Iseyin, called on the Oyo State government to make the Aseyin of Iseyin a co-chairman in the bill.
They said in a statement that “Alaafin is representing the interests of four local government areas in Oyo town, Soun of Ogbomoso represents the interests of five local government areas while Olubadan represents the interests of 11 local government areas, leaving Oke-Ogun area with 10 local government areas with no co-chairmanship candidate.”
The similar call was made by Asabari Vanguard, a sociocultural group representing the indigenes of Saki, for the Okere of Saki to also be included in the rotational chairmanship of the Oyo State Council of Obas.
The group based their request on the historical and cultural significance of Saki and its monarch, the Okere.
In a statement, the group noted that “Saki played a crucial role in the history of the Oyo Empire, hosting the displaced Alaafin of Oyo after the empire’s downfall in 1837.” That “the Okere of Saki also wears an ancient crown rooted in history and time, and the town has a rich cultural heritage, including being one of the few towns in Yorubaland with a British army barrack as early as 1887.”
The group argued that Okere of Saki’s exclusion from the rotational chairmanship would be a disregard for the town’s historical and cultural contributions to Oyo State.
But as events unfold, the stakeholders in the traditional circle of Oyo State are keenly washing whether Governor Seyi Makinde will assent the bill or return it to the House for further adjustments. If approved, the bill would be the second major reviews carried out in the state’s traditional and chieftaincy matters under Makinde. First was the Olubadan chieftaincy declaration review, and now the review of Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
-Dare Adeniran
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