Oyo kingmakers reject fresh Alaafin selection process

Five kingmakers in Oyo town have rejected Governor Seyi Makinde’s directive to initiate a fresh selection process for the Alaafin of Oyo, insisting that Lukman Gbadegesin has already been chosen as the new monarch.

This development comes amidst a protracted crisis over the revered Alaafin stool, which became vacant on April 22, 2022, following the death of  Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III at the age of 81 after a 52-year reign.

The opposing kingmakers include the Basorun of Oyo,  High Chief Yusuf Akinade; Lagunna of Oyo, High Chief Wakeel Akindele; Akinniku of Oyo, High Chief Hamzat Yusuf; Chief Wahab Oyetunji (a warrant chief standing in for the Asipa of Oyo), and Chief Gbadebo Mufutau (a warrant chief standing in for the Alapinni of Oyo).

In a letter addressed to the governor, signed by their legal counsel, Adekunle Sobaloju (SAN), the kingmakers accused the governor of undermining an ongoing court case concerning the selection process.

The letter stated: “We have just been reliably informed by our clients that you have, through the Oyo State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs and the Chairmen of Atiba and Oyo East Local Governments, appointed Chief Odurinde Olusegun (Alajagba of Ajagba) and Chief Ganiyu Ajiboye (Alago-Oja of Ago Oja) as warrant kingmakers to join High Chief Asimiyu Atanda (Agbaakin of Oyo) and High Chief Lamidi Oyewale (Samu of Oyo) to kickstart the process of selecting another candidate to fill the vacant stool of Alaafin of Oyo.

“The two local government chairmen, the warrant chiefs, and the said high chiefs, who oppose the majority decision of the kingmakers selecting Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin as the Alaafin-elect, were summoned on January 9, 2025, to the office of the Oyo State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, where they were instructed to commence a fresh process to fill the vacant stool.”

Sobaloju described the governor’s actions as illegal and a violation of judicial authority, emphasising that the matter is still under litigation.

He warned that disregarding the court’s authority not only undermines governance but also breaches the constitution.

He referenced a prior incident where Makinde allegedly ignored court proceedings to dissolve democratically elected local government chairmen, drawing parallels to the current situation.

“Proceeding to commence a fresh process for the filling of the vacant stool of Alaafin of Oyo would be subjudice and tantamount to lawlessness and disregard for the superior courts of record, an act which Your Excellency ought to distance yourself from,” the lawyer said.

The kingmakers urged Governor Makinde to suspend plans for a new selection process until the motion for injunction, pending appeal, is resolved in court.

“Obedience to the law and respect for the integrity of our courts is paramount,” their lawyer said.