By SEYI Makinde, Governor of Oyo State, has taken a controversial step towards making the Alaafin of Oyo, the Soun of Ogbomoso, and the Olubadan of Ibadanland co-chairmen of the Council of Obas and Chiefs—an action that challenges the traditional supremacy of the Alaafin and mirrors a similar move by former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala.
A bill, exclusively obtained by OYOINSIGHT.COM, is currently pending before the Oyo State House of Assembly.
It proposes an amendment that would result in the Alaafin sharing the chairmanship of the council with the other two monarchs.
This development comes amid a renewed supremacy tussle between the Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo.
For decades, the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, fought to retain his role as the permanent chairman of the council of Obas in both the current Oyo State and the defunct old Oyo State, often clashing with the late Ooni Okunade Sijuwade.
At one point, he took former Governor Bola Ige to court to prevent the Ooni from being named permanent chairman of the council.
The latest move by the House of Assembly appears to replicate the controversial action taken by late former Governor Alao-Akala, who previously stripped the Alaafin of his permanent chairmanship after losing re-election in 2011.
Titled Council of Obas and Chiefs (Further Amendment) Bill, 2025, the new proposal is sponsored by five lawmakers, including the Speaker, Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin.
It states that “the Chairmanship of the Council shall be permanent and concurrent to the Alaafin of Oyo, Olubadan of Ibadan, and Soun of Ogbomoso.”
The bill further stipulates that “in any meeting of the Council, the Alaafin of Oyo shall preside; in the absence of the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadan shall preside; if both are absent, the Soun of Ogbomoso shall preside.”
OYOINSIGHT.COM can authoritatively report that this is a revival of the contentious legislation previously championed by Alao-Akala. In 2011, following his electoral defeat to the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Alao-Akala influenced the Assembly to amend the law and remove Oba Adeyemi as the permanent chairman, reportedly due to the monarch’s political stance during the election.
Sources reveal that the latest legislative proposal has not been well received by many within the traditional council, particularly the Oke-Ogun Council of Obas and Chiefs.
Speaking anonymously, one monarch told OYOINSIGHT.COM that a consensus had been reached earlier in the year that the Alaafin should remain the sole permanent head of the council.
The monarchs’ position, OYOINSIGHT.COM gathered, is based on the historic role of the Alaafin in Yoruba tradition, including his influence in conferring crown-wearing rights on both the Olubadan and the Soun.
As an alternative, they suggested a tripartite structure in which the Alaafin serves as the permanent President of the council, with the chairmanship rotated biennially among the Olugbon of Ile Igbon, Okere of Saki, Aseyin of Iseyin, Eleruwa of Eruwa, Olubadan of Ibadan, and Soun of Ogbomoso.
The vice-chairmanship would similarly rotate among other notable monarchs.
Reacting to the development, a socio-cultural group, the Isese Yoruba Renaissance Movement, described the proposed bill as a distortion of customary law in the state.
In a statement provided to OYOINSIGHT.COM by the group’s Convener, Esugbemi Sangoleke, they called for the bill to be withdrawn, citing fears that the initiative was politically motivated.
“We fear that the proposal may be driven by extraneous considerations and political motives rather than a genuine desire to preserve and promote our cultural heritage,” the group asserted.
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