…Alaafin’s primacy sacrosanct, says Oyo group
…Ladoja warns Nigerians to stay vigilant
Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has called on the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, to de-escalate the simmering dispute over the chairmanship of the Oyo State Council of Obas and refocus attention on the worsening security situation in the South-West.
Igboho’s intervention followed Governor Seyi Makinde’s decision to appoint Oba Ladoja as chairman of the council under a new framework that introduces a rotational chairmanship among the Olubadan, the Alaafin and the Soun of Ogbomoso. The move has ignited sharp reactions across Oyo State, reopening long-standing debates over hierarchy and tradition among the foremost Yoruba stools.
In a statement, Igboho described the public disagreement as ill-timed and counter-productive, arguing that traditional institutions should be at the forefront of safeguarding lives and livelihoods at a time when criminal elements are exploiting the region’s forests and rural corridors.
“It does not project well for revered royal fathers, whose stools symbolise the evolution of the Yoruba race, to expend scarce energy on positional contests while insecurity continues to ravage our communities,” he said. He urged the monarchs to close ranks and provide moral leadership in confronting banditry, terrorism and violent crime, particularly in the wake of recent killings around Old Oyo National Park.
The activist appealed to other eminent Yoruba leaders, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Olugbon of Orile Igbon, Oba Francis Olushola Alao, to broker peace and stabilise the traditional council. According to him, history has shown that institutions can evolve without erasing established facts, stressing that unity and strategic collaboration remain indispensable to the South-West’s development agenda.
While Igboho pushed for restraint, a prominent Oyo group, Egbe Omo Oyo Niiwa Nitooto, struck a hard line, rejecting the amended Obas and Chiefs Council law. In a statement by its General Secretary, Mr Abbas Ayomide, the group faulted the rotational arrangement, insisting that the Alaafin’s primacy is rooted in history and cannot be subjected to political engineering.
The association warned that equating the stools through legislation amounted to a distortion of Yoruba political order. “Government may be transient, but history is permanent,” the group declared, describing the reform as an affront to cultural heritage and a dangerous precedent.
Amid the heated exchanges, Oba Ladoja adopted a broader national lens, urging Nigerians to heighten security awareness in their daily lives. Receiving Khalifa Sheikh Habeebullahi Muhyideen Ajani Bello at his Oke Aremo palace, the Olubadan cautioned that insecurity has become a shared global challenge that demands collective responsibility.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Chief Ayoade Olugbemiga, the monarch said citizens must remain alert to their surroundings, noting that security can no longer be left to government alone. He emphasised that vigilance, responsible conduct and community cooperation are now critical success factors in navigating the country’s fragile security environment.
