Kingmakers in Oyo have rejected the appointment of Prince Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin by Governor Seyi Makinde, describing the decision as illegal and a violation of the traditional selection process.
In a statement issued on Friday, five kingmakers declared the appointment null and void, insisting that Prince Lukman Gbadegesin remains the legitimate candidate they recommended for the revered throne.
Kingmakers Cite Previous Appointment Process
“You will recall that on 30th September, 2022, at the meeting of the Kingmakers in accordance with the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration, 1961, the Kingmakers appointed Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin as the Alaafin of Oyo by majority of the lawful votes of the Kingmakers,” the statement read.
They further explained that Prince Gbadegesin’s name was submitted to Governor Makinde for approval, but the governor failed to act on their recommendation without providing any reasons.
“The Kingmakers thereafter filed an action to stop Your Excellency from truncating the process, culminating in the present appeal at the Court of Appeal,” the kingmakers added.
Criticism Of Consultation And Divination Claims
OsunDailyNG gathered that the kingmakers expressed shock at the government’s claim that Owoade’s selection was made after wide consultation and divination.
“We must emphatically state that the Alaafin is not chosen by consultation or divination but in strict compliance with the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967, which codifies the native law and custom governing the selection process for the vacant stool of the Alaafin,” they stated.
The kingmakers criticized the alleged meeting convened by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, claiming it contravened the traditional process.
“Any meeting of a few kingmakers and emergency warrant chiefs held at the Governor’s office or elsewhere at the instance of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, to select the preferred candidate of the Governor as the new Alaafin, is not only contrary to the native law and custom and Chieftaincy Declaration of Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy but unlawful, illegal, invalid, null and void,” the kingmakers said.
They accused Governor Makinde of overstepping his authority, asserting that it is not the governor’s duty to convene a meeting to select or appoint a new Alaafin.
The kingmakers reaffirmed their commitment to the traditional processes stipulated by the 1967 Chieftaincy Declaration.
“This hurried appointment disregards the established procedures and undermines the sacred institution of the Alaafin,” they said.
