Some nine princes have joined in the rejection of the nomination and appointment of Prince Akeem Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo. The stool became vacant following the demise of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi in 2022. Since that time there have issues around the emergence of a new king.
Yesterday Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde gave the staff of office and certificate to the new king. He also said that the stool of Alaafin would never be up for sales as he condemned the Oyomesi for monetizing the stool.
The kingmakers have vehemently rejected the appointment of Owoade arguing that they had long decided that Lukman Gbadegesin was the authentic candidate for the throne.
The nine princes called “Atiba 9” were led by one Prince Sina Afolabi. They claimed to be representing all the ruling houses in the ancient town of Oyo. They released a statement on Tuesday to condemn the governor for not allowing due processes and for presenting the staff to Owoade at the Oyo State Secretariat, Ibadan instead of in Oyo town.
Afolabi said, “What the governor did was totally against the highly revered Alaafin stool. His action has reduced the throne to an object of ridicule. It was expected of Governor Makinde, an apostle of due process, to have followed a just line of action and avoid reducing the Alaafin stool or the Alaafin to an Oba Gbandu or Oba Yebuyebu (an ordinary oba without honour).
“When the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, was to be made the oba, he entered Ipebi and everything was done in accordance with the custom and tradition of Ife before he was proclaimed as the Oonirisa.
“We don’t want our revered stool or the Alaafin to become an object of ridicule and mockery in the future. We don’t want him to be referred to as an oba that was anointed in Ibadan, precisely at the Office of the Governor.
We don’t want people to refer to him as an Alaafin that did not enter Ipebi.
“The Alaafin of Oyo is a prominent and first-class traditional ruler in the entire Yoruba land. We, the Atiba 9, are against the process embarked upon by the state government to make Omooba Owoade the Alaafin. It should be stopped and the right thing must be done in appointing a new Alaafin.
“We don’t have anything personal against Omooba Owoade who was appointed as the Alaafin on Monday. He too made efforts to become the oba. We don’t have any personal issues with Omooba Lukman Gbadegesin either. However, our group is against the process through which Owoade and Gbadegesin emerged as candidates for the Alaafin stool.
“And what Governor Makinde had done by making Omooba Owoade the Alaafin is an attempt to ridicule the throne. We, the Atiba 9, don’t want it! We respect Professor Wande Abimbola who consulted Ifa, but if he wants to be fair to all, he should come and consult Ifa at Ojude Ogun here in Oyo.”
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