The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has faulted claims by Governor Seyi Makinde that he consulted him before reviving a rotational chairmanship for the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
This position was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Palace through its Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin, Bode Durojaiye.
The position of the palace was in reaction to the governor’s remarks during the inauguration of the reconstituted Council earlier in the day.
Governor Makinde had announced that the chairmanship of the Council would rotate among the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland and the Soun of Ogbomoso, following amendments to the state’s chieftaincy law.
The governor subsequently pronounced the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, as the chairman for a period of two years after which the seat will rotate to another monarch between the Alaafin of Oyo and Soun of Ogbomoso.
The governor also stated that the decision was taken after consultations with the three monarchs.
However, the Alaafin’s Palace described the claim as inaccurate, stressing that no such consultation took place.
“The attention of the Alaafin’s Palace has been drawn to a statement credited to His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde, that he consulted with the three traditional rulers in the state on the rotational chairmanship of the State Council of Obas and Chiefs,” the statement read.
The Palace stated unequivocally that there was no time the Alaafin held any meeting with the governor or with the Olubadan and the Soun of Ogbomoso on the matter.
It further clarified that the Alaafin did not make any statement endorsing the rotational arrangement of the Council’s chairmanship.
According to the Palace, the position of the Alaafin and the entire Oyo community on the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs had already been formally communicated to the state government through a memorandum submitted by the Oyo Council of Elders.
The palace statement reiterated that the Alaafin’s stance should not be misrepresented in public discourse surrounding the reconstitution and leadership structure of the Council.
The clarification comes amid renewed debates following the governor’s earlier announcement restoring the Council and rotating its leadership, a move that has instantly drawn reactions from across the state and beyond.