By Adeola Badru

After the demise of Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, expectations were high that the succession processes for the next Alaafin of Oyo would be peaceful and expedited without rancour.

This optimism is based on the fact that the ancient city, with an iconic and rich monarchical history, has only one ruling house -the Atiba family.

The Atiba family’s progenitor, Atiba Atobatele gave birth to 11 princes, whose family names are Agunloye (Ladigbolu). Adesiyan, Alowolodu (Adeyemi). Olanite, Tella Agbojulogun, Adelabu, Baba Idode, Abidekun, Adediran and Adeitan.

However, from inception, only the Agunloye and Alowolodu families have been occupying the throne, in succession to each other.
The arrangement further derived its legality from the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961, which gave recognition to the two branches of the Atiba family, the right to occupy the throne.

The late Oba Adeyemi was from the latter. This means that the Agunloye ruling house will produce the next Alaafin.
The seemingly slow process of choosing a new Alaafin of Oyo is causing disquiet in the kingdom, one year after the demise of the long-reigning monarch.

Oba Adeyemi’s 51 years on the throne made him the longest reigning Alaafin before he died on April 22, 2022, at the age of 83 years. He passed on at the Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti after a brief illness.

Succession battle

Following Alaafin Adeyemi’s death, an intense competition ensued between the Agunloye princes, who registered their aspiration to mount the throne to the Oyo Mesi through the Baba Iyaji. the leader of the ruling houses. According to the Oyo tradition and the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration, the law governing the process of succession, the Baba lyaji would present the list of the princes to the Oyo Mesi whose head, the Bashorun, would then convene a decision meeting after some screening.

The decision meeting, to be witnessed by government officials, would feature a consensus or voting where there is a plurality of choices. The influential retired Archbishop of the Methodist Church, who is also a prince from the Agunloye family, Most Reverend Ayo Ladigbolu, in an interview with Vanguard, affirmed Agunloye and Alowolodu families as the two recognised by the law to occupy the Alaafin throne.

The succession chair was, therefore, expected to swing expeditiously in favour of a candidate from the clergyman’s clan.
According to reports, this process was said to have been completed since last year October when the Oyo Mesi was allegedly said to have chosen a prince by consensus and forwarded the decision to Governor Seyi Makinde.

A section of the community is angry because, since the demise of the previous Alaafin, important cultural and traditional activities in the ancient kingdom have been put on hold.

Also, the Muslims are angry that a new Chief Imam cannot be appointed for the central mosque in the city because the Alaafin stool is still vacant.

We have 86 contestants -Palace spokesperson

Meanwhile, as of September 2022, about 86 persons have declared interest in the vacant Alaafin of Oyo stool.

According to the Director of Media and Publicity in the Alaafin of Oyo Palace, Bode Durojaiye, the Head of Oyo Princes, Chief Mukaila Afonja, submitted the names of the individuals eyeing the throne to the Bashorun of Oyo, High Chief Yusuf Ayoola.

Durojaiye said the Bashorun summoned an emergency meeting of all members of the Oyo Traditional Council (Oyo Mesi) on the development upon the receipt of the names.

He said: “In attendance at the meeting was the Chairperson, Atiba Local Government, Alhaja Kafilat. At the end of the meeting, it was resolved that all the contestants should, as a matter of utmost concern, attend a peace meeting, which was then slated for Saturday, September 3, 2022, at the Agbala Ogun Hall in the palace.”

New Alaafin yet to emerge Kingmakers

During the process of interviewing the contestants, speculations went viral that one of the contestants for the Alaafin of Oyo stool, Lukman Gbadegesin, had been appointed as the new Alaafin-elect.

Miffed by the development, the kingmakers quickly dismissed the report, saying the process for the selection of a new Alaafin is still ongoing.

A kingmaker, who spoke to Vanguard, in confidence, disclosed that the report of the consensus candidate has not been presented to the governor for final ratification.

The source further noted that Governor Makinde has urged the Oyo Mesi to expedite action on the selection process and he said the outcome of the process would be made known soon.

According to Oyo tradition and the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration, the law governing the process of succession, the Baba Iyaji would present the list of the princes to the Oyo Mesi whose head, the Bashorun, would then convene a decision after some screening.
“The decision meeting, to be witnessed by government officials, would feature a consensus or voting where there is a plurality of choices.”

We’ve not approved new Alaafin Oyo govt

The state government, through the immediate past Commissioner for Information, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, equally responded to the report, insisting that the state government had not approved or recognised anyone as the new Alaafin of Oyo.

Olatunbosun, in a chat with Vanguard, urged residents to desist from spreading such rumour.

His words: “As far as we are concerned, we must follow due process. The moment the process is completed, we will make it public. The process is ongoing, the state government has not approved or recognised anyone as the new Alaafin of Oyo.”

Ladigbolu warns against fake news

Meanwhile, another contestant for the vacant Alaafin of Oyo stool, Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu, warned against fake news over the alleged emergence of a new Oyo monarch.

The retired Bishop said there was a need for caution over such publication.

He said: “As a critical stakeholder in the contest for the stool, I am supposed to know. But as it is, nobody told me anything. I doubt if the news is true. More so, Makinde told the whole world during the swearing-in of Justice Iyabo Yerima as substantive Chief Judge of Oyo State, why the selection of the new Alaafin was delayed.

“So, we don’t understand what has happened when a new Alaafin was allegedly selected. The governor said he would rather have the selection of the monarch delayed for the sake of due process rather than record a repeat of a situation where a monarch is removed by the courts for failure to abide by due process.

According to him, “once due process is followed, the state would not fret if anyone goes to court to challenge the process of emergence of any monarch.”

Hope of new Alaafin hits the rock

However, the hope of fielding a new Alaafin emerging last month have hit the rock as earlier stated by Iba Samu of Oyo Empire, Chief Lamidi Oyewale, who is one of the ‘Oyo Mesi’ (King Makers) in Oyo town, during the one-year remembrance prayer held for the late Oba Adeyemi.

During the prayer session, he said the tag of a new Alaafin of Oyo will likely emerge before May 29 this year, adding that the delay in the current ongoing process to choose the new monarch is to have a rancour-free coronation and peaceful reign of the new monarch.

He noted that the process of choosing the monarch is a painstaking one and assured that there won’t be any problem when the new king eventually emerges.

According to him, Oyo town had, in the past, been without a king for over three years and there was no problem or a breakdown of law and order.

“It’s just a year since the late Alaafin died. Before the swearing-in of the governor, a new Oyo monarch will emerge. I don’t want to comment much on the process of the emergence of a new Alaafin. I’ve said a lot of things and granted a lot of interviews concerning it.