Alaafin absent as Olubadan emerges Oyo council of obas’ chair

Governor Seyi Makinde on Thursday inaugurated a new Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs in Ibadan, with the chairmanship set to rotate among three leading traditional rulers in the state.

The inauguration, which took place at the House of Chiefs Hall, State Secretariat, Ibadan, saw the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, Arusa I, emerge as the inaugural chairman of the council for a two-year term.

However, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, one of the foremost monarchs in the state, was conspicuously absent from the event.

The inauguration followed the passage of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs (Further Amendments) Bill, 2025, by the Oyo State House of Assembly, a move aimed at strengthening traditional institutions in the state.

Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Makinde explained the rationale behind the rotational chairmanship.

He said, “I called the monarchs that we proposed in the law that the chairmanship of the Council of Obas will rotate, and I believe from the law it’s every two years that it will rotate. This is what we are known for. But when we sit down, if we don’t resolve issues and do what is right and proper for our people, then we have failed.

“So, I consulted my three fathers—the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, and the Soun of Ogbomosoland—and the agreement is that they will start the rotation with Kabiyesi, the Olubadan of Ibadan

On that basis, I hereby pronounce the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs inaugurated.”

Under the amended law, the chairmanship of the council will rotate every two years among the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, and the Soun of Ogbomosoland.

Oba Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo State, was installed as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland in September 2025, following the death of Oba Owolabi Olakulehin.