Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is on the cusp of making history in Ibadanland’s traditional leadership structure, as he prepares to install a third Olubadan during his tenure; a feat never before recorded by any governor in the state.
Makinde, who assumed office in 2019 and secured a second term in 2023, has overseen the installation of Oba Lekan Balogun (Alli Okunmade II) in 2022, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin in 2025, and is now set to install former Oyo State Governor, Oba Chief Rashidi Ladoja, as the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland following the transition of Oba Olakulehin.
Ibadan, the political and traditional capital of Yorubaland, operates a unique rotational chieftaincy system with a well-structured ascension process.
This means that the path to the Olubadan throne is strictly by seniority and merit from two lines; the Otun and Balogun lines.
Governor Makinde’s administration has coincided with an unprecedented period of transition within the Olubadan hierarchy, marked by the demise of three monarchs in relatively quick succession: Oba Saliu Adetunji (January 2022), Oba Lekan Balogun (March 2024), and Oba Owolabi Olakulehin (who just passed away mid-2025 after only a brief reign).
Makinde installed Oba Lekan Balogun in March 2022, followed by Oba Olakulehin in July 2025. Now, with Oba Chief Rashidi Ladoja, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, who is next in line, the governor is poised to once again perform the royal duty of crowning an Olubadan; his third since taking office.
Oba Rashidi Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo State and respected elder statesman, is now the most senior chief in the Otun (civil) line, and his ascension would make him the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland.
Ladoja’s journey from state leadership to traditional royalty underpinned the deep connection between politics and traditional leadership in Yorubaland.
His ascension is widely seen as the convergence of modern governance and ancestral heritage; a fitting conclusion to a storied public service career.
By virtue of this development, Governor Makinde will become the first sitting governor in the history of Oyo State to install three Olubadan, a testament not only to the pace of transitions within the traditional institution but also to Makinde’s steady hand in managing one of Nigeria’s most revered traditional systems.
His role has been particularly significant in maintaining order and continuity amidst debates over chieftaincy reforms, the modernization of the Olubadan system, and occasional intra-council tension.
As the Olubadan stool awaits its next occupant, Governor Makinde’s unique position as the first to install three monarchs will be permanently etched in the annals of Ibadanland.
It is a moment not just of political significance, but of cultural and historical magnitude for one of Nigeria’s oldest and most respected traditional systems.