Indications have emerged that the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade deliberately shunned the inauguration of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja as the Chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
This is because the monarch, after the event, said he was not at anytime consulted by Governor Seyi Makinde to discuss the issue of rotational chairmanship before the decision was taken.
It had earlier been confirmed that Governor Makinde on Thursday, at the House of Chiefs, Oyo State House of Assembly Complex, State Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan inaugurated Oba Ladoja as the Chairman of the Council, a position which he would occupy for the next two years.
Makinde said he consulted the three monarchs who would be rotating the Chairmanship position, including the Alaafin of Oyo, Olubadan of Ibadanland and Soun of Ogbomoso on who should occupy the seat for the next two years.
The Governor had said, the three monarchs agreed that the Olubadan should occupy the seat before it is rotated to others.
The Nation reports that the Council last met in 2011 following protracted leadership tussle between the three late immediate past monarch of Oyo, Ibadan and Ogbomoso.
However, reacting to the Governor’s statement, the Alaafin in a statement by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye said he 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 statement reads in part: “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.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
