Kingmakers in Oyo Town on Friday rejected the appointment of Prince Abimbola Owoade as the Alaafin of Oyo, describing the decision by Governor Seyi Makinde as illegal, null, and void.
In a letter signed by their legal representative, Adekunle Sobalolu, and addressed to the governor, the kingmakers declared that Owoade’s selection did not follow due process. They claimed the only candidate they lawfully recommended for the vacant throne was Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin.
The Oyo State Government had earlier announced Owoade as the Alaafin-elect, stating that his selection followed wide consultations and divination. However, the kingmakers refuted this claim, insisting that the process violated the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967, which governs the selection of the Alaafin.
The letter, backed by five kingmakers, explained that on 30 September 2022, the majority of votes were cast in favour of Gbadegesin, whose name was subsequently forwarded to Governor Makinde for approval.
“Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin, having obtained the majority of votes of the kingmakers present, 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,” they stated.
The five dissenting kingmakers include:
– High Chief Yusuf Layinka, the Bashorun of Oyo and head of the Oyomesi.
– High Chief Wakeel Oyedepo, the Lagunna of Oyo.
– High Chief Hamzat Yusuf, the Akinniku of Oyo.
– Chief Wahab Oyetunji, warrant chief representing the Asipa of Oyo.
– Chief Gbadebo Mufutau, warrant chief representing the Alapinni of Oyo.
They asserted that no proper meeting was held to select Owoade, and no summons for such a meeting was issued by the Bashorun of Oyo as required by custom.
The kingmakers emphasised that the Alaafin is chosen strictly according to the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967.
“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,” the letter read.
The kingmakers argued that a valid selection could only occur if the Bashorun of Oyo summoned a meeting of all kingmakers at the Alaafin’s palace. They noted that no such meeting took place in this instance.
“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,” they said.
They criticised the meeting held at the Governor’s Office, stating that it was unlawful. “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 appealed to the sons and daughters of Oyo Kingdom to remain calm, assuring them that they would challenge the governor’s action in court.
“We have resolved to seek redress through legal means to ensure the sanctity of our tradition and laws is upheld,” they declared.
