After over two years of waiting, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has formally appointed Abimbola Akeem Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo.
The announcement was disclosed on Friday through a statement released by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, in Ibadan, the state capital.
The revered Alaafin position has remained vacant since the passing of Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, who held the title from 1970 until his death in 2022.
Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ademola Ojo, urged the people of Oyo to lend their support to the new Alaafin.
“This decision has put to rest all the socio-legal controversies that have arisen since the transition of the late Oba Adeyemi. We urge the people of Oyo State to support the new Alaafin and join the government in celebrating this historic moment,” he said
The governor was asked by five Oyo kingmakers on Thursday not to initiate a new process for choosing the vacancy, claiming that Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin was their choice.
High Chief Yusuf Akínade, representing Bashorun of Oyo; High Chief Wakeel Akindele, representing Lagunna of Oyo; High Chief Hamzat Yusuf, representing Akinniku of Oyo; Chíef Wahab Oyetunji, representing Asipa of Oyo as warrant chief; and Chief Gbadebo Mufutau, representing Alapinní of Oyo, warned the governor against taking any action that might be interpreted as unlawful.
“The two Local Government Chairmen and the said warrant chiefs, as well as High Chief Asimiyu Atanda (Agbaakin of Oyo) and High Chief Lamidi Oyewale (Samu of Oyo), who are not in support of the decision of the majority of the Kingmakers that selected Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin as the Alafin-elect, were summoned today, January 9, 2025, to the office of the Oyo State Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, where they were ordered to begin a new process to fill the vacant seat.
They noted that since there was a pending court case on the issue, the Governor’s attempt to initiate a new procedure violated his oath of office, as well as his legal and constitutional duty to follow the constitution and accord the court the utmost respect.