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Tag: Abimbola Owoade

  • ‘I never met governor to endorse rotational chairmanship’

    ‘I never met governor to endorse rotational chairmanship’

    There are indications that the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, yesterday deliberately shunned the inauguration of Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, as the chairman of Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.

    This is because the monarch, after the event, said he was not at any time consulted by Governor Seyi Makinde to discuss rotational chairmanship with him.

    The Alaafin, in a statement last night by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, said he did not tell the governor or make a categorical statement on his endorsement of rotational chairmanship among himself, the Olubadan and Soun of Ogbomosho

    The statement read: “The attention of the Alaafin’s Palace has been drawn to a statement credited to Governor Makinde that he consulted with three traditional rulers in the state, the Alaafin, the Olubadan and the Soun of Ogbomoso, on the rotational chairmanship of the state Council of Obas and Chiefs.

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    “The Palace hereby wants to state clearly that there was no time His Imperial Majesty, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade 1, held any meeting with either the governor or any of the two traditional rulers mentioned above.

    “Also, the Alaafin did not tell the Governor or make a categorical statement on his endorsement of rotational chairmanship among the three traditional rulers.

    “The position of the Alaafin and the entire Oyo community on the general issue of the state Council of Obas and Chiefs has been enunciated in a memo delivered to His Excellency by the Oyo Council of Elders.”

  • Alaafin Owoade harps on qualities of leadership, charity at Eid-el-Fitri

    Alaafin Owoade harps on qualities of leadership, charity at Eid-el-Fitri

    Alaafin of Oyo Oba Abimbola Owoade, has admonished Nigerians to imbibe the virtues of tolerance, understanding and good neighbourliness as the baseline of transforming the country, heal our relationships, and give us the polity of our dreams.

    He also called for rededication, not only to the Creator but also to the cause of mankind, appreciate the gift of life and imbibe the virtues of tolerance, and contentment.

    In a message by the Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Bode Durojaiye, to the Muslims in commemoration of this year’s Eid-el-Fitri festival, Oba Owoade said, total submission to the will and command of Allah symbolizes genuine obedience, which is the basic essence of the festival.

    More importantly, he said, it is a period that calls for caring for the less privileged of our society.

    The statement reads: ‘’If we sincerely love in our hearts, governance would work, electoral reforms would be easier to accomplish, funds would be judiciously utilized for the good of the larger number, leadership would love and cherish the led. That is the essence of the festival, which I recommend to all Nigerians, indeed, to all humanity, at this time.

    ‘’Love that considers others first, prefers others above personal and selfish desires, and which seeks to emancipate, unshackle and liberate.

    “Indeed, the timing of the festival this year could not have been more auspicious, given that the economy is in recession with all the attendant implications for millions of Nigerians.

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    “What that suggests is that the socio-economic condition of most Nigerians this year makes it compelling for adherents of Islam to look beyond themselves and their immediate environment, especially in this holy seaso

    “The lessons of Eid-el-Fitri are simple: by paying attention to the plight of the poor, we invariably place the welfare of our neighbours as important as ours; by allowing others to partake of our wealth or material possessions, we honour the One (God) who made the provision in the first place.”

    This, the Paramount Ruler asserted, happens to be at the heart of all religions, but a virtue that is particularly at the heart of this festival.

    ‘’It is important not to lose sight of the true meaning of this special occasion and the spirit of sacrifice it represents. With millions of our compatriots now refugees in their own country, the significance of Eid,fitri this year cannot be over-emphasised.

    “The occasion should therefore go beyond merrymaking to sharing love and material possessions not only with relatives or acquaintances, but also with the displaced, the elderly, the orphans and other people at the margin of the society, including those with special needs. It is also important that Nigerians begin to embrace and support charitable causes’,’ Oba Owoade submitted.

  • Gbadegesin to court: void Owoade’s choice as Alaafin

    Gbadegesin to court: void Owoade’s choice as Alaafin

    The kingmakers’ selected candidate for the Alaafin stool, Prince Lukman Gbadegesin, has accused Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of usurping the power of the Oyomesi and violating the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961, with his appointment of Prince Abimbola Owoade as the Alaafin of Oyo.

    Gbadegesin said Makinde’s alleged reliance on Ifa consultation contradicted the judgment of Oyo State High Court of December 19, 2022, which declared Ifa consultation in the selection process unlawful, ‘’as it is not provided for in the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961.’’

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    Consequently, he has headed for Oyo State High Court to challenge the appointment and presentation of the staff office to Prince Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo by the governor.

    Gbadegesin is praying the court to set aside the appointment, approval of appointment and presentation of staff of office to a new Alaafin carried out by the governor.

    In a pre-action notice signed by his legal representative, Adekunle Sobaloju, SAN, a copy of which was said to be addressed to the governor, he insisted that the governor’s actions fell foul of the Oyo State Chiefs’ Law 2000.

    According to him, the allegations of bribery by two Oyomesi members, raised over a year after his selection, lacked credibility and were not formally communicated to the governor or investigated.

  • Kingmakers kick as Makinde names Owoade new Alaafin

    Kingmakers kick as Makinde names Owoade new Alaafin

    • Say only Bashorun can convene meeting to pick monarch

    Governor Seyi Makinde’s approval of Prince Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo has steered the anger of the kingmakers in the ancient kingdom, the Oyomesi.

    A statement signed by the Oyo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, yesterday had declared that Prince Owoade, after thorough consultations and divinations, was recommended by the Oyomesi and approved by the Oyo State governor.

    A statement to that effect, he said, had been issued by the Honourable Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ademola Ojo, who declared that the announcement had put to rest all the social and legal bickerings that had ensued since the demise of the immediate past Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, on April 22, 2022.

    But in a letter they addressed to Governor Makinde yesterday, the kingmakers described the governor’s appointment of Prince Owoade as the new Alaafin as illegal and unlawful.

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    The kingmakers also declared the appointment null and void because they did not recommend such a name to the state government.

    They insisted that the only person they recommended as the next Alaafin was Prince Luqman Gbadegesin.

    The kingmakers in the letter to the governor, signed by their legal representative Adekunle Sobaloju (SAN), include High Chief Yusuf Akínade, Bashorun of Oyo; High Chief Wakeel Akindele, Lagunna of Oyo; High Chief Hamzat Yusuf, Akinniku of Oyo; Chíef Wahab Oyetunji, warrant chief stand-in for Asipa of Oyo, and Chief Gbadebo Mufutau, warrant chief stand-in for Alapinní of Oyo.

    The letter reads: “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.

    “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.”

    The kingmakers said they were surprised that in the announcement made by the government, it claimed that the 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.

    “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 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 statement earlier issued by Hon. Ademola Ojo had called on all citizens of Oyo State to join the government in celebrating “this momentous occasion” and lend their support to the new Alaafin of Oyo.

    The commissioner prayed that the new Alaafin’s reign would bring peace, prosperity and unity to the historic Oyo Kingdom.

  • Oyomesi rejects Owoade as Alaafin-Designate

    Oyomesi rejects Owoade as Alaafin-Designate

    Kingmakers in ancient Oyo town (Oyomesi) have described appointment of Prince Abimbola Owoade as Alaafin-Designate by Governor Seyi Makinde as illegal and unlawful.

    Oyo State Government announced Makinde’s approval of Owoade as Alaafin-Designate, two years after the stool became vacant.

    However, five Kingmakers from the town have declared the appointment as null and void because they did not recommend such a name to the State Government, insisting that the only person they recommended as the next Alaafin is Prince Luqman Gbadegesin.

    The Kingmakers in a letter to the Governor signed by their legal representative, Adekunle Sobaloju (SAN), include High Chief Yusuf Akínade, Bashorun of Oyo; High Chief Wakeel Akindele, Lagunna of Oyo; High Chief Hamzat Yusuf, Akinniku of Oyo; Chief Wahab Oyetunji, warrant chief stand-in for Asipa of Oyo, and Chief Gbadebo Mufutau, warrant chief stand-in for Alapinní of Oyo.

    The letter reads: “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.

    “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 approved 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.”

    The chiefs noted that they were surprised that in the announcement by the government, it claimed that the selection was made after wide consultation and divination. 

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    They said: “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 gth 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 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.”