Mojeed Okedara, a former gubernatorial aspirant under the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 general election in Oyo State, has criticised Governor Seyi Makinde’s decision to rotate the chairmanship of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
Governor Makinde had announced Oba Rashidi Ladoja, Olubadan of Ibadanland, as Chairman during the Council’s inauguration at the House of Chiefs in Ibadan.
The US-based former Universal Boxing Champion, in his reaction via a video posted on his official social media handle, carpeted Governor Seyi Makinde’s installation of Olubadan as chairman of Obas Council, saying it’s absolutely an aberration to the entire Yoruba-speaking community.
He described the development as potentially detrimental to the political landscape of the Southwest.
Okedara referred Governor Makinde to history, describing how powerful the stool of Alaafin was in Yoruba customs and how it should not be brought into disrepute through what he described as ‘dirty politics’.
He warned the state governor to rescind his decision and maintain the status quo as it was during the reign of late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi.
“We all understand all the scheming from the onset, so this pronouncement by Governor Makinde is not really coming to us as a surprise, but we have to remind the Governor that the Alaafin of Oyo is a multifaceted leader whose influence extended far beyond his immediate domain, shaping Yoruba history, culture, and political organisation for centuries.”
Okedara, who joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), opined that the Oyo Governor never considered factors that highlight the delicate balance required when political authorities engage with traditional institutions to maintain respect, autonomy, and harmony, and that the public is questioning the traditional council’s legitimacy because the appointment is viewed as politically motivated rather than based on merit or tradition.
“The Alaafin of Oyo plays an important and essential role in the Yoruba people’s traditional history. As the supreme monarch of the Oyo Empire, one of the most powerful and widespread Yoruba empires in history, the stool possessed enormous political, military, and spiritual influence,” Okedara said.
