Some members of the Oyomesi (kingmakers) have rejected the appointment of Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo.
Seyi Makinde, governor of the state, on Friday approved the
appointment of Owoade as the next Alaafin.
In a statement by Dotun Oyelade, the commissioner for
information and orientation, Makinde said the approval followed divinations,
consultations, and recommendations from the kingmakers.
However, in a letter addressed to the governor, five out of seven members of the Oyomesi described Owoade’s appointment as illegal and invalid.
The aggrieved kingmakers, in the letter written by Adekunle
Sobaloju, their legal counsel, said they recommended Luqman Gbadegesin, not
Owoade, to the state government as Alaafin.
They argued that the occupant of the stool is chosen in
compliance with the registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967,
not by consultation or divination as stated by Makinde.
They added that only the Bashorun, head of the Oyomesi, can
convene a meeting to elect an Alaafin, arguing that any meeting Makinde
convened is null and void.
The kingmakers in the faction include Yusuf Akinade
(Basorun), Wakeel Akindele (Lagunna), Hamzat Yusuf (Akinniku), Wahab Oyetunji,
warrant chief standing in for the (Asipa), and Gbadebo Mufutau, warrant chief
standing in for (Alapinni).
“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 a majority of the lawful votes of the Kingmakers,” the
letter reads.
“Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin, having obtained the
majority of votes of the Kingmakers present and voting, was deemed appointed,
and his name was forwarded to your Excellency as the candidate appointed by the
Kingmakers as Alaafin of Oyo for your approval, which you refused to approve
for no disclosed reason at all.
The Kingmakers thereafter filed an action to stop your
excellency from truncating the process, culminating in the present appeal at
the court of appeal.
“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.
“Under the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration
of 1967, it is only the Bashorun of Oyo, the head of the Oyomesi and
Kingmakers, that can summon a meeting of the Kingmakers for the purpose of
selecting a candidate to fill the vacant stool of the Alaafin of Oyo.
“In this instance, the Bashorun did not summon any such
meeting, nor was there any meeting convened in the Alaafin’s palace, as custom
demands, where the said Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade was selected or appointed
as the new Alaafin.
“Any meeting of few kingmakers and emergency warrant chiefs
held at the Governor’s office on the 9th of January, 2025, 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 Alafin of
Oyo Chieftaincy but unlawful, illegal, invalid, null, and void.
“It is not the duty of the governor to convene the meeting
of a few kingmakers and emergency warrant chiefs to select or appoint a new
Alaafin on the 9th of January, 2025, and hurriedly approve the appointment on
the 10th of January, 2025.”
The kingmakers called on the governor to retrace his steps
or face legal action.
They also urged the public to remain calm and embrace law
and order in the face of recent developments.
“Your Excellency’s unilateral decision to appoint and/or
approve the appointment of Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade, without due regard for
the provisions of the Registered Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy Declaration of 1967
and pending application for injunction pending appeal, may go down in history
as the worst executive recklessness and disregard for the integrity of the
court ever exhibited by a sitting Governor,” the letter reads further.
“Sir, your excellency cannot sit in your office and handpick
the Alaafin, disregarding the established customs and traditions of the Oyo
Kingdom.
“We have our client’s instruction to inform your excellency
that they have appealed to sons and daughters of the Oyo Kingdom to remain calm
in the face of the unjustified attack and desecration of the custom of the
community, which had from time immemorial saddled the Oyomesi/Kingmakers with
the responsibility to select a candidate from the next ruling house entitled to
produce a candidate to fill the vacant stool of the Alaafin of Oyo.
“Our clients hereby assure your Excellency and all Oyo sons
and daughters that this unlawful action shall be challenged in court, as we are
confident that it will not withstand judicial scrutiny.
“We respectfully advise Your Excellency to retrace your
steps and allow the Kingmakers to discharge their duties without interference.
Any act contrary to the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration is void ab initio and
an affront to the traditions of the Oyo Kingdom.”
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com