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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The narratives changed overnight. And a season of new songs began in Ibadan, Oyo State, from Tuesday, February 1, 2022. The new songs were connected with the processes of installing the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland, which suffered delays over litigation.
Governor Seyi Makinde is, therefore, set to announce the new Olubadan today. He told the audience at the burial rites for Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, the 41st Olubadan, at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan, at the weekend: “When the crisis of the Obaship in Ibadanland started, I was right here in the Liberty Stadium and said that, if there is any division or faction in the land, I will pitch my tent with the king.
“Today, I am also happy that the crisis we have been witnessing on the issue of Olubadan stool has been settled. God has really taken control of everything.
“I have received a letter from the Olubadan-in-Council and, by the grace of God, on Monday (today), I will make the official announcement of the new Olubadan of Ibadanland.”
This new song puts a stop to the old songs, which began on Monday, January 3, 2022. That was a day after the demise of Oba Saliu Adetunju. The old songs, though shrouded in controversies, started from a letter written by former Commissioner for Justice, Michael Folorunso Lana, to Makinde to withhold his approval for the nominee to the vacant stool of Olubadan, based on legal issues.
He told Makinde to withhold his approval of Senator Lekan Balogun. He based his argument against the installation of Chief Balogun, Otun Olubadan, and other members of the Olubadan-in-Council, except one, as beaded-crown-wearing kings by the former governor, the late Abiola Ajimobi, on Sunday, August 27, 2017.
The only member of the council who did not accept the crown, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, Osi Olubadan and former governor, challenged the installation in court. He won in a judgment delivered in January 2018 in Ibadan. When the matter got to the Court of Appeal, the judgment of the lower court was set aside, and the case file was returned to the lower court for retrial.
In the midst of it, Makinde came on board on May 29, 2019. The governor opted for an out-of-court settlement with Ladoja. The terms of agreement formed the consent judgment delivered on November 19, 2019. In the judgment, the “high chiefs” elevated to the positions of kings lost their crowns and returned to the status quo.
But they were dissatisfied with the judgment and went back to the same high court to know if it was right for the consent judgment to be delivered without their input. Chief Judge, Justice Munta Abimbola, handled the case and the court was set for judgment when the controversy on who should succeed Oba Adetunju began.
Lana postulated two ways to settle the matter. The high chiefs should relinquish their crowns, including Lekan Balogun, for him to become Olubadan: “They withdraw the case, or wait for the judgment. If the judgment says they should not wear crowns, he should be installed Olubadan, and if the judgment says they could wear crowns, Balogun should forfeit the stool of Olubadan.”
The chiefs fired back, saying the traditional system of ascendancy to the throne of Olubadan was sacrosanct and there was no controversy over who becomes the next Olubadan. Lawyers to the council also wrote to Makinde, telling him that nothing tinkered with the tradition of appointing a new Olubadan, irrespective of whether their clients were beaded-crown-wearing kings or not.
The governor said he would respect the wish of the former Olubadan, who stood against the elevation of his chiefs to kings. At a meeting between the governor and the Ibadan kingmakers, which also had Ladoja in attendance, the governor told them to withdraw their appeal so that the process of installing the next Olubadan could kick off.
On Tuesday, February 1, counsel to the Ibadan high chiefs informed the court that he had a notice of discontinuance of the case, dated January 31, 2022, filed on February 1, 2022. He added that all the respondents were served. The application was supported by a four-paragraph affidavit.
There was no counter-affidavit filed against the application either in writing or orally. He urged the court to grant the application in the interest of peace and justice in Ibadanland. He prayed the court to strike out the case.
Justice Abimbola dismissed the case. Though the court did not go into details of the case, it mentioned the High Court judgment of January 2018, which declared installation of the high chiefs as kings in August 2017 illegal, unconstitutional, null and void, as well as the Court of Appeal judgment that struck out the appeal and ordered retrial at the lower court.
The court held that the judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal subsists because no higher court has invalidated it: “It means the 1957 Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration is intact, irrespective of the amendment done between May and August 2017 to the declaration.
The declaration stipulates that two chieftaincy lines, “Egbe Agba” (civilian) and “Balogun” (military), will produce Olubadan on rotational basis. The immediate past Olubadan was produced by the Balogun Line. It is automatic that the Otun Line will produce the next Olubadan.
The Otun Balogun of Ibadanland, Chief Tajudeen Ajibola, said: “It’s a well considered judgment. That’s our view. We thought peace must be allowed to reign. So, we settled out of court. We have withdrawn the case. The case has been dismissed.
“We are now to move on with the next step of promotion that will be presented to the governor. The appropriate person, Senator Lekan Balogun, will be the Olubadan of Ibadanland. There are no more impediments. It is all solved. We want peace to reign, and it has come to reign. We are happy with the judgment. It is what we want.
“When a case is struck out, it can be relisted anytime, by either party. When a case is dismissed, that is the end of the matter. You can’t come back, unless for substantial good reasons. If they say they want it like that, they don’t want us to come back as well we do not want to put people to unrest mind.
“We want people to be rest assured that we are no longer interested. We are no longer interested. Whether dismissed or struck out, it is no big deal to us. We are happy about it. There is no problem.”
Baale of Ekotedo had at many forums advised the high chiefs to withdraw their appeal. He said he was not against the high chiefs becoming obas (kings), but he was against the way they were installed:
“I am the one who wrote a letter to Senator Ajimobi that our high chiefs must be addressed as Oba Eleyele, Oba Ekotedo and so on. I had to write the letter after we attended the National Development Summit of Traditional Rulers in Abuja. I was amazed and unhappy when the organisers said the chiefs were not invited and they must not enter the venue.
“We told the organisers that they were high chiefs and that they were Olubadan in the making. They said they should wait until they become Olubadan. On that day, I delivered a paper on Industrial Finance in Agriculture. In the letter, I advised Ajimobi to have the meeting in camera with Olubadan, who is the prescribed and consenting authority to nominate, to choose chiefs, and it is not in the purview of any governor.
“It is not the responsibility of the governor to nominate or to appoint obas or chiefs. I was unhappy that the high chiefs were not allowed to enter the venue on that day, and that was why I wrote the letter to Ajimobi.
“Now that they have relinquished Ajimobi’s crowns, now that there is no more case in court, what is the way forward? The way forward is that, when the whole dust settles, Oba (Senator) Lekan Balogun will write to the governor as to why high chiefs must be called obas, not high chiefs, because of the experience I cited about what happened in Abuja, where they don’t (recognise) high chiefs.
“Though it is our system here, they don’t buy our own system in Abuja. There must be changes. But the changes will not affect the ascendancy, the promotional system of all these obas.”
The new song in Ibadan now is that the battle is over, no more war, no more impediment, no legal tussle against the nomination of Lekan Balogun as the 42nd Olubadan. Makinde is expected to do the needful on the nomination.
Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Bayo Lawal, told Daily Sun in a telephone chat that he officially received the nomination form for the Otun Olubadan, Senator Balogun, on Monday, February 7, 2022. He said he presented the document to Makinde, after the Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, February 8.
The Ibadan kingmakers met on Thursday, February 3, 2022, and ratified the nomination of Balogun as the next Olubadan. The meeting was attended by all the kingmakers, except the Iyalode of Ibadanland, Chief (Mrs.) Theresa Oyekanmi, but she sent her consent letter. The Osi Olubadan and former governor, Senator Ladoja, was also at the meeting.
The kingmakers are waiting for Makinde’s approval of their nominee. The family of the Olubadan-elect is also waiting for the governor’s approval. The first son of the Olubadan-elect, Femi, commended Makinde for preserving the age-long chieftaincy institution in Ibadan.
He said in his letter: “Your Excellency’s deep respect for traditional institution and diplomatic disposition, which resolved the contentious issues that arose from earlier controversy over the successor to the Olubadan stool, put an end to what could have brought the Ibadan chieftaincy and traditional institution to disrepute. I salute your courage and great wisdom in resolving the issue to the satisfaction of everyone.”
