By Our Correspondent
Tension is mounting in Oyo as five kingmakers have rejected Governor Seyi Makinde’s appointment of Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo, describing the move as “illegal and unlawful.”
The Oyo State government announced Owoade’s selection on Friday, more than two years after the throne became vacant.
However, in a letter to the governor, the dissenting kingmakers insisted they had only recommended Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin for the revered stool.
Signed by their lawyer, Adekunle Sobaloju (SAN), the letter was endorsed by High Chief Yusuf Akínade, the Basorun of Oyo; High Chief Wakeel Akindele, the Lagunna of Oyo; High Chief Hamzat Yusuf, the Akinniku of Oyo; Chief Wahab Oyetunji, warrant chief stand-in for the Asipa of Oyo; and Chief Gbadebo Mufutau, warrant chief stand-in for the Alapinni of Oyo.
They maintained that Gbadegesin had been lawfully selected by a majority vote at a kingmakers’ meeting on September 30, 2022, in line with the Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961.
With this latest development, uncertainty now clouds the long-awaited succession to the historic throne of the Alaafin, as the standoff between the kingmakers and the state government deepens.
