BY OLA AJAYI

IBADAN-THE Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, CCII, weekend said the issue of rotation of the  chairmanship of the Council of Obas and Chiefs in Oyo State was non-negotiable.

The tussle over the permanent chairmanship of the councils had been rested until the immediate past Governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, exhumed the crisis with the amendment of the law governing the council.

According to the amended law, the chairmanship seat of the council is now to move  biannually among the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana and Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi.

On his becoming governor  in 2007, governor Akala made the Alaafin the permanent chairman of the council, but when the relationship between Akala and Alaafin became frosty, he was removed as the permanent chairman.

At the official inauguration of the new executive committee members of the CCII, its National President, Chief Bayo Oyero noted that though, the amendment for rotational chairmanship was done in bad faith, it was an answer to CCII’s long time prayers.

According to him, CCII had agitated for it in 2004 and 2007 when it submitted a memorandum to government, saying “We welcome the rotation of the obas council seat which, though belated, has supported our age long agitation. Also, we know that it was done with vendetta, but all the same, it is a move that should be commendable.

The permanent position of the council made the Olubadan to stay away  of the obas meetings since he became our ruler”.