The Oyo State Government and Kingmakers of Oyo, known as Oyomesi are now at loggerhead over the pronouncement of Prince Abimbola Owoade as the new monarch of the ancient town by Governor Seyi Makinde.
Penpushing reports that five prominent kingmakers have publicly rejected Owoade’s appointment, claiming it violates the established tradition and legal procedures for selecting the Alaafin, but the government insisted that appointment of Owoade as the new Alaafin remains final
The government on Saturday through the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade declared that it will not engage in further public debate on the matter for now, stressing that for now the statement the government has put out will suffice.
Penpushing further reports that the aggrieved kingmakers on their part argued that the Governor bypassed the proper process, which involves the kingmakers selecting the new Alaafin through a majority vote, according to the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961.
The kingmakers assert that Lukman Gbadegesin, who they selected by majority vote in 2022, is the rightful Alaafin-elect, claiming that Governor’s meeting with a few kingmakers and emergency warrant chiefs on January 9, 2025 is unprecedented and smacks of nothing more than executive recklessness.
‘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’.
“Under the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967, it is only the Bashorun of Oyo, the head of the Oyomesi and Kingmakers, that 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, 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,” the statement read.
Penpushing also reports that it is recalled that in April 2024, an Oyo State High Court dismissed the kingmakers’ lawsuit against Governor Makinde and other officials regarding the vacant Alaafin of Oyo throne, citing administrative defects.
The Kingmakers in response, through their counsel, filed a notice of appeal and motion for injunction at the Court of Appeal and Oyo High Court, while there are two core issues of disagreement, which have it that the Governor overstepped his authority by interfering in a traditional selection process.
Penpushing reports that the second issue is about the Governor’s role in choosing the new Alaafin, and actions raise questions about the extent of executive power in traditional matters, while the Governor has the constitutional authority to appoint a new, that monarch can only be done after the kingmakers perform their role.
The kingmakers argued that the governor violated the traditional process and the role of the Oyomesi, the rightful kingmakers emphasising the importance of adhering to the established customs and the Chieftaincy Declaration Act of 1961, while the Oyo State Government stated that it will make further comments when it is necessary.
Penpushing further reports that the dispute over the kingmakers’ original choice as Alaafin is still at the Court of Appeal, and they may file a fresh suit to ask the court to stop the state government from installing Owoade as the Alaafin.
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