Traditional rulers and stakeholders from Ibadanland and Ogbomosoland have strongly rejected a proposed amendment by the Oyo State House of Assembly seeking to install the Alaafin of Oyo as the permanent chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
The opposition was formalised in a joint statement issued in Ibadan on Monday, signed by various Mogajis, Baales, monarchs, the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), the Ibadan Compounds Peace Initiative (ICPI), and prominent indigenes of both Ibadan and Ogbomoso, including Mogajis from the Soun ruling houses.
The controversial bill, which passed its second reading in the House last Thursday, proposes to amend the state’s chieftaincy law to make the Alaafin the permanent presiding officer of the council. Under the bill, the Olubadan of Ibadanland would assume the role in the Alaafin’s absence, while the Soun of Ogbomoso would chair in the absence of both.
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The legislative session was presided over by Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin, and the bill has now been referred to the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters for further consideration.
However, the proposed changes have been met with widespread backlash from other royal institutions. Traditional leaders and community stakeholders have described the bill as a distortion of established historical norms and an attempt to marginalise other respected thrones in the state.
“The chairmanship of the council has always been rotational and should remain so,” the statement noted. “Any attempt to alter this long-standing tradition undermines equity and threatens the unity among the royal fathers.”
President of the Ibadan Mogajis, Asimiyu Ariori, and ICPI Coordinator, Nurudeen Akinade, stressed that the resistance to the bill is not borne out of personal or political interest, but rather a commitment to historical balance and peace in Oyo State.
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They cautioned lawmakers against introducing policies that could provoke unnecessary tension and disrupt the harmony among traditional rulers.
“We deeply respected the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, for his wisdom and his cordial relationship with Ibadan and other regions,” they said. “Despite his over 50 years on the throne, he never sought to dominate others. The current Alaafin should tread softly.”
The growing opposition places significant pressure on the state legislature to reconsider the bill amid concerns over fairness, unity, and adherence to tradition.
