Oyo Govt Insists Owoade Remains Alaafin-Elect Despite Kingmakers Opposition

The Oyo State Government, under Governor Seyi Makinde, is standing firm on its decision to appoint Prince Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo, amid opposition from the traditional kingmakers of the ancient Oyo kingdom.

Naija News recalls that Governor Makinde announced on Friday that Owoade would be the new Alaafin following the death of the previous monarch in 2022.

However, the decision has sparked controversy, with five prominent members of the Oyomesi (kingmakers) rejecting the appointment.

The Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, in an interview with Premium Times, on Saturday, stated that the government’s decision on the matter is final.

Speaking on the development Oyelade said, “We are going to make further comments when it is necessary. For now, the statement the government has put out will suffice.”

The government has maintained that it followed due process in appointing the new Alaafin, but the kingmakers argue otherwise.

Kingmakers Reject Appointment

The Oyomesi, led by the Bashorun of Oyo, High Chief Yusuf Akinade, have dismissed Owoade’s appointment as a violation of tradition and the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961.

They claim the proper process, which involves a majority vote among the kingmakers, was ignored.

In a statement released on Saturday, the kingmakers reiterated that their choice, Prince Lukman Gbadegesin, remains the rightful Alaafin-elect.

“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, which codifies the native law and custom governing the selection process for the vacant stool of the Alaafin,” the statement read.

The kingmakers also accused the governor of bypassing traditional protocols. They alleged that the governor convened a meeting with a few selected kingmakers and emergency warrant chiefs on January 9, leading to what they described as an “unprecedented act of executive recklessness.”

“Under the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967, it is only the Bashorun of Oyo, the head of the Oyomesi, who can summon a meeting of the Kingmakers for the purpose of selecting a candidate to fill the vacant stool of the Alaafin of Oyo. In this instance, the Bashorun did not summon any such meeting,” they said.

The kingmakers further noted that the Alaafin’s palace, the customary venue for such a selection, was not used in the process that led to Owoade’s selection.