Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has inaugurated the inaugural edition of the Oyo State Council of Obas, with the Olubadan of Ibadanland appointed as the chairman for a two-year term.
Naijaonpoint reports that this development marks a new chapter in the governance of traditional institutions in the state, as the council will now rotate leadership among the Obas.
However, the move has been met with strong opposition from the Oyo Forum, Abuja, a group of influential Oyo indigenes, who have voiced concerns over the proposed amendment to the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs Law. The Forum, in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Engineer Segun Owolabi, and Media/Publicity Chairman, Ambassador Tunde Mustapha, warned that the introduction of a rotational chairmanship could undermine the cultural and historical significance of the Alaafin stool.
The Forum called on Governor Makinde to withhold assent to the bill currently before him, following its passage by the Oyo State House of Assembly.
The Oyo Forum’s statement highlighted that the Alaafin stool is not merely a local political office, but one with a historical legacy that dates back to pre-colonial times, representing the spiritual and ancestral leadership of the Yoruba people. According to the Forum, reducing the position to a rotating office could be seen as disrespecting a legacy that holds deep cultural value for the entire Yoruba ethnic group.
More to come…