Lawyer condemns amended Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration, says it’s targeted at Ladoja

An Ibadan-based legal practitioner, Barrister Abiodun Amole, has condemned the newly amended 2023 Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration.

The legal practitioner also described the amendment as discriminatory and vindictive.

Amole spoke in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Monday.

DAILY POST reports that some sections of the 2023 Olubadan chieftaincy declaration were part of the documents distributed during the coronation of the new Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Akinloye Owolabi Olakulehin, Ige Olakulehin 1 on Friday.

The new law stated that anyone who is to be nominated as Olubadan of Ibadanland must be one of the beaded crown Obas as against the former law which says that anyone to be nominated must be one of the High Chiefs.

Amole in his reaction, maintained that the new law is obviously aimed at preventing the current Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja, from becoming Olubadan.

He added that as at the time Ladoja joined the race for the Olubadan stool several years back, what was in Section 4 of the applicable Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration of 1957 is the phrase, “the most senior High Chief” and not the “most senior Beaded Crown Oba”.

The statement said, “The so-called amended Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration of 2023 is extremely repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience.

“It is discriminatory and vindictive & should be condemned by all men of goodwill. It’s obviously aimed at preventing Senator Rashid Ladoja from realising his life-long ambition of becoming the Olubadan.

“A Chieftaincy Declaration is in the nature of customary law and the law is well settled that any customary law that offends natural justice, equity and good conscience as in the instant case is null and void and of no effect whatsoever.

“The so-called amendment is caught by the doctrine of estoppel by conduct as codified in Section 169 of the Evidence Act, in that as at the time Senator Ladoja joined the race for the Olubadan stool several years back, what was in Section 4 of the applicable Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration of 1957 is the phrase, “the most senior High Chief” and not the ” most senior Beaded Crown Oba” surreptitiously inserted in the unjust and draconian amendment. It amounts to changing the rules when a contest has already commenced and is in fact about to end. It’s most unfair and should be condemned by all men of goodwill.

“There is a saying in Yoruba that if a society or household witnesses peace and harmony, it simply means that the bastards therein have not come of age, it now appears that the bastards in Ibadanland have not only come of age, they have in fact grabbed political power and things may not be the same again with the hitherto unique & crisis/rancour-free ascension to the Olubadan throne.

“It will be on record for eternity and generations of Ibadan indigenes yet unborn will get to know that it was during the tenure of Governor Seyi Makinde that a gazette that attempted to destroy the traditional institution in Ibadanland was made. History will not be fair to the governor in that regard.”