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By Oluseye Ojo
Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, is at a crossroads, as the nomination of a new Olubadan, the paramount ruler of the city, faces obstacles.
Crucial meetings to officially nominate the Olubadan-designate have been shrouded in controversy over who has the authority to convene such meetings.
Concerns regarding the health status of the Olubadan-designate have also raised questions about his ability to fulfill his duties.
However, a picture surfaced, showing the Olubadan-designate, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, dressed in white agbada, and sitting on a chair. The sender of the picture to Saturday Sun said the picture was taken on Friday morning in Ibadan. This may be a game changer.
It is being argued that the most senior member of the Olubadan Advisory Council, who is next in rank to the Olubadan-designate from the other line that produced the Olubadan-designate has lawful powers to convene the meeting.
The 42nd Olubadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, joined his ancestors on Thursday March 14, 2024.
However, there was no controversy over who becomes the next Olubadan. Immediately the 42nd Olubadan breathed his last, and it was so announced by the Oyo State Government, the Balogun of Ibadanland automatically becomes the Olubadan-designate.
The two lines that have been producing Olubadan on rotational basis are the Otun Line, which is the civil line, and the Balogun Line, which is also known as the military line. The late Olubadan was produced by the Otun Line, and the next occupier of the throne must be produced by the Balogun Line.
Section 10(2) of the Oyo State Chiefs Law 1957, now Section 14(2) of the Chiefs Law (2000), states the criteria for an Olubadan-designate to scale the hurdle and be pronounced the Olubadan-elect:
“No person shall be qualified to be a candidate for a recognised chieftaincy title who suffers from serious physical infirmity, or has under any law in force in Nigeria been found or declared to be a lunatic or adjudged to be of unsound mind, or has, in any part of the Commonwealth been convicted of an offence involving dishonesty and sentenced to imprisonment therefore, and has not been granted a free pardon.”
The Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration also empowers the kingmakers to choose the next Olubadan among the first four most senior chiefs in the line, whose turn it is to produce the monarch for the city, in case the Olubadan-designate is incapacitated.
But the recent developments may put to test the well-arranged succession plans to the throne of Olubadan. Everything was cool in Ibadan, and many people had been looking forward for the Olubadan-designate to be officially nominated by Ibadan kingmakers during a meeting that must be held at Oja’ba Palace of Olubadan and must also be attended by the Secretary of Ibadan South East Local Government, which is the mother of all other 10 local government areas in Ibadanland.
However, the coolness was punctured two weeks ago when news emerged that there was a division among the kingmakers. The kingmakers elevated in July 2023 by Oba Lekan Balogun to beaded-crown-wearing monarchs. Then, it was only the Otun Olubadan and a former governor of Oyo Stte, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, that did not accept the crown.
So, the kings among the Ibadan kingmakers, called themselves Ibadan Council of Obas and Ladoja remains the only High Chief among the kingmakers and Olubadan Advisory Council.
The nomination and ratification of Olubadan-designate would have been completed two weeks ago, but for disagreements between the two camps among the kingmakers.
The Ibadan Council of Obas held a meeting on Monday March 25, this year, at Oja’ba Palace and came out with the resolution that they would not nominate the Olubadan-designate, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, until they have seen him face-to-face and confirm that he is of a sound mind and maintains good physical fitness.
But Ladoja was not at the meeting. As gathered, he was not invited because the meeting was meant for only the crowned kings among the kingmakers. Many of the kingmakers attended the meeting.
Ladoja also convened a meeting on Tuesday March 26 at the same Oja’ba Palace. But other kingmakers did not show up.
The Ekerin Olubadan, Oba Hamidu Ajibade, had last week raised concerns about the absence of the Olubadan-designate at the meeting held last week Monday at Oja’ba. He also raised concerns over the health status of the Olubadan-designate, billed to become the 43rd Oubadan.
The meeting was expected to be attended by the Secretary of Ibadan South East Local Government. At the end of the meeting, the nomination and ratification would be sent to the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, who will take the document to Govemor Seyi Makinde for approval.
Ajibade had said: “If someone is not well or capable of staying on that throne, do you just want us to put that person there like a vegetable? Is it possible? What we want is whoever wants to become our Oba must be able to walk and speak, so that you will be able to communicate with him.”
But the Olubadan-designate’s son, Sumbo Owolabi, had told journalists that his father was hale and hearty.
His words: “Daddy has aged already. So, before the late Oba Balogun’s demise, Baba had gone for a medical trip. And when the incident happened, he was still there. So, he just stayed back to relax a bit.
“As a new king, different people will be paying him homage and he will need to attend to them all. And with his age, he may not have the strength to receive different people across Nigeria; hence, the reason his doctor advised him to relax a bit.
“I want to debunk the rumour that he is incapacitated. The installation of the next Olubadan will soon be done. People should stop fake rumours. I also want to debunk another rumour that the crowned Obas have not seen him. They have.
“But I want to confirm to you that Baba, the Olubadan-designate, Oba Olakulehin is the next Olubadan of Ibadanland. It was intentional not to attend the meeting fixed a few days ago, and not because of his health. He is the only person that can give you details on that.
“But I want to authoritatively confirm that the crowned Obas and Baba have been in touch physically. They have seen one another and he will join them at the next meeting whenever they convene it.”
Amid the controversy earlier this week, fresh facts emerged on the health status of the Olubadan-designate, who is the current Balogun of Ibadanland, as the 21 days window frame allowed by law for a new Olubadan to be nominated elapsed on Friday April 5, 2024. But it could not be verified immediately, the window frame for extension within which the nomination and ratification must be done and concluded.
The new information followed an anxiety over the health status of the 89-year old monarch, who has not been seen in public since the late Olubadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, passed on three weeks ago.
Saturday Sun gathered that Oba Olakulehin, made a call to the Otun Olubadan, High Chief Rashidi Ladoja, which probably indicated that the Olubadan-designate is still able to communicate and has a sound mind.
Though it is still unclear whether he can walk unaided, sources maintained that he is in good health overall. The kingmakers are expected to meet this week, nominate and ratify Olakulehin as the next Olubadan.
According to the source, “I don’t know much about Oba Olakulehin’s health status. But I can tell you that he made a phone call to Senator Ladoja some days ago.
“During the call, he thanked Ladoja for leading other members of the Olubadan Advisory Council to the residence of the late Olubadan and his residence at Alalubosa GRA. He also commended Ladoja for the role he played during the burial rites for the late Olubadan.
“This means, he can still talk and also has a sound mind. On whether he can walk unaided, I cannot say because our paths have not crossed in recent time.”
It was also speculated that if the Olubadan-designate could not see and walk, the kingmakers may not nominate him on the grounds that he could not fulfil his obligations. But there is another twist that Ladoja, in his capacity as the Otun Olubadan, should be the one to convene the meeting where kingmakers would nominate the new Olubadan officially.
Former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Oyo State, Mr Michael Lana, said the position of the law is that the most senior chief, according to the 1957 Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration, must convene the meeting.
He warned that Ibadan might not have a new king in the next one year if Ladoja is not allowed to convene the meeting. He also cautioned that any meeting that might or may be convened by any other chief or king would be null and void.
Meanwhile, the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) has intervened in the matter with a view to brokering peace between the two camps. It was reliably gathered that a peace meeting was held earlier this week at the residence of an elder statesman and former president of CCII in Ibadan. Inside sources said truce was till a work in progress between the camps. In the same vein, the Ibadan King’s Men (Egbe Bobaselu), which is a group of seasoned professionals of Ibadan origin with the mandate to preserve the stool of Olubadan rose from a crucial meeting in Ibadan on Thursday and enjoined members of the Olubadan-In-Council to refrain from making further inflammatory remarks that could drag the stool of Olubadan into public ridicule.
The emergency meeting presided over by the duo of Alhaji Olatunji Oladejo (Convener) and Chief Gaphar Ojetola as the co-convener, suggested a petite committee to resolve the seeming impasse among the council members.
“A petite committee with the overall objective of peaceful and amicable resolution of the crisis should be set up with the following members: Chief Bode Amao, Asiwaju of Ibadanland; Chief Dotun Sanusi, Chairman Ilaji Hotels and Resorts; Alhaji Makanjuola Akinola, Aare of Ibadanland; Oloye Kola Karim, the Agbaoye of Ibadanland; President General of CCII, Chief Ajeniyi Ajewole; All past Presidents-General of CCII; Most Rev’d Sunday Ola-Makinde; former Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria; Chief Imam of Ibadanland; Presidents of the three founding unions/clubs of CCII: Ibadan Progressive Union (IPU), Ibadan Descendants Union (IDU), UI/POLY and Lagelu 16.”
