By Kolawole Ojebisi
Kingmakers in Oyo town, known in local parlance as Oyomesi, have voiced their objection to the appointment of Prince Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo as approved by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
The kingmakers registered their displeasure in a letter sent to governor Makinde on Friday following the announcement of Prince Abimbola Owoade as the Alaafin-designate.
Recall that Owoade’s appointment was announced on Friday in a statement by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, sparking controversy within traditional circles.
Announcing Owoade as the successor of the departed Lamido Adeyemi II who died over two years ago, Oyelade claimed Abimbola was selected after extensive consultations and traditional divinations by the Oyomesi, the Oyo kingmakers,
He added that Owoade was recommended as the new Alaafin of Oyo by the Kingmakers and subsequently approved by Governor Makinde.
“Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade, after thorough consultations and divinations, has been recommended by the Oyomesi and approved by Governor Seyi Makinde as the new Alaafin of Oyo,” he said.
However, five prominent kingmakers in Oyo town rejected Owoade’s appointment.
The protesting kingmakers include the Basorun of Oyo, High Chief Yusuf Akinade; the Lagunna of Oyo, High Chief Wakeel Akindele; the Akinniku of Oyo, High Chief Hamzat Yusuf; a warrant chief representing the Asipa of Oyo, Chief Wahab Oyetunji; and a warrant chief representing the Alapinni of Oyo, Chief Gbadebo Mufutau.
The kingmakers argued that Prince Lukman Gbadegesin was the rightful Alaafin-elect, citing ongoing legal proceedings concerning the selection process.
In a letter signed by their legal counsel, Kunle Sobaloju, SAN, they described the governor’s actions as illegal and urged the suspension of the process until the matter was resolved in court.
Titled “Re: Illegal & Unlawful Appointment of Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade as the New Alaafin of Oyo,” was made available to Saturday PUNCH, the letter outlined the kingmakers’ opposition to the appointment.
It read in part, “On their resolute instruction, we write this letter concerning the purported unlawful and illegal appointment of Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo.
“You will recall that on September 30, 2022, at a meeting of the Kingmakers held in accordance with the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961, the Kingmakers appointed Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin as the Alaafin of Oyo by a majority of lawful votes. His name was forwarded to Your Excellency for approval, but you refused to approve it for undisclosed reasons. The Kingmakers thereafter filed an action to stop Your Excellency from truncating the process, which is now pending in the Court of Appeal.
“Your Excellency’s recent announcement of Prince Owoade’s appointment, claiming it was made after consultations and divinations, is contrary to the established legal process. The Alaafin is not chosen by consultation or divination but through strict compliance with the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967, which governs the selection process. The Bashorun of Oyo, as the head of the Oyomesi, must summon a meeting for the selection, but no such meeting was convened. This decision amounts to executive recklessness and cannot withstand legal scrutiny.”
