Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has cleared his name of any involvement in the delayed selection and appointment of the Alaafin of Oyo, stating that he has no anointed candidate for the revered stool.
The governor made this clarification on Monday, represented by the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Olusegun Olayiwola.
The Alaafin of Oyo stool became vacant in April 2022 after the passing of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, who reigned for 52 years before joining his ancestors at the age of 82.
The governor’s clarification was made at the Oba Adeyemi Mini Stadium, Ode Aremo in Oyo Town, while presenting Part II Recognised Chieftaincy certificates to 12 baales who are now lesser Obas in their respective domains.
The 12 elevated chiefs include Chief Olaniyi Adegboye III, Chief David Oyediran, and nine others. They are now qualified to attend the meetings of the State Council of Obas and Chiefs at the Parliament Building, Government Secretariat, Agodi in Ibadan.
Commissioner Olayiwola emphasized that Governor Makinde believes that the next Alaafin should be someone who is worthy of the historical status of Oyo, which is the cradle of Yoruba land.
He assured that the process for installing a new Alaafin would have been concluded but for the case instituted at the appeal court.
The governor also charged the newly elevated chiefs to work closely with local and state governments to maintain peace and stability in their domains.
He emphasized that traditional institutions play a vital role in maintaining peace and stability in communities.
The event was attended by some of the Oyomesi or kingmakers, including High Chief Lamidi Oyewàle, High Chief Asimiyu Atanda, and others.
The ceremony was marked by a sense of pride and hope as the newly elevated chiefs looked forward to their new roles.
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Your Excellency. You claim that Oyo has not presented an anointed individual as affirmed Alafin may be so because a majority of Oyomesi panel never received the hypothetical handover from their predecessors due to modernism. It’s between a rock and a hard place scenario. Any anointed person would’ve been through significant initiation from a younger age. There are some dialogical and practical orientations an anointed royal child needs to be taken through in order to be qualified. Those contesting don’t have such orientation. More importantly, Alafin’s royal eminence can’t be compared to other other Yoruba kings. It comes with culture and political leadership. It’s very wrong and demeaning to the Royal position for people to anticipate a ‘king for sale’ transaction to elect an Oyo king. It’s not done.
As a part of Gbadegesin family, I went through some initiations in my childhood, with interactive relationships with palace chief and foreign visitors. I met with some of our reincarnated progenitors while growing up. The list is inexhaustible. I’m not a type to drop a Naira in order to become Alaafin but I believe that my departed mother will be proud that I achieve the goal of unifying the family. That’s anointing. I would like to have a meeting with the Governor to elucidate more on this very important subject .