The Oyo State House of Assembly has approved a proposal to introduce a rotational chairmanship system for the state’s Council of Obas and Chiefs, effectively scrapping the previously proposed permanent leadership structure.
This decision, presented through the report of the House Committee on Chieftaincy Matters, recommended that the chairmanship of the council should rotate every two years among the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, and the Soun of Ogbomoso. The committee also advised that the positions of Samu and Agbakin be formally recognized as members of the council.
However, the move was not without drama, as two lawmakers representing constituencies in Oyo, Hon. Rahaman Olorunpoto (Oyo East/Oyo West) and Hon. Gbenga Oyekola (Atiba), staged a walkout during the presentation of the report. Their protest highlighted the deep-rooted tensions and differing interests surrounding the traditional institution’s leadership structure.
The debate over the council’s leadership has sparked significant public reaction, especially from traditional rulers and influential stakeholders in Ibadanland and Ogbomosoland. Earlier in the week, key figures, including Mogajis, Baales, monarchs, and prominent community groups like the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) and the Ibadan Compounds Peace Initiative (ICPI), issued a joint statement firmly rejecting the initial legislative proposal that sought to install the Alaafin as the permanent chairman of the council.
Describing the proposal as a distortion of the state’s traditional order and a threat to the unity of its royal institutions, the stakeholders advocated for the continuation of the rotational model. “The chairmanship of the council has always been rotational and should remain so to reflect equity among all royal stools in the state,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, Chief Asimiyu Ariori, President of the Ibadan Mogajis, and Nurudeen Akinade, Coordinator of the ICPI, warned that tampering with the leadership arrangement could stir unnecessary tension. They called on lawmakers to uphold the principle of inclusiveness that has long governed the council.
“Our opposition is not rooted in personal sentiment. We respected the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, for his wisdom and dignity throughout his over 50 years on the throne. But tradition must be preserved, and equity must prevail,” they noted.
