Alli to be crowned Ibadan Oba amid gov bid

The Oyo State Government has approved the promotion of a member of the National Assembly representing Oyo South Senatorial district, Sharafadeen Ali and two other High Chiefs, Bolaji Adewoyin and Kola Babalola, to beaded crown-wearing Obas in Ibadanland.

They are promoted to Ekerin Olubadan, Ekaarun Balogun and Ekarun Olubadan.

Following their promotion, the high chiefs will ascend to obaship status and attain an elevated rank within the state traditional council.

The PUNCH had reported that Alli was being considered as a consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 governorship election.

Other APC aspirants eyeing the Oyo governorship seat on the APC platform include the 2023 governorship candidate of the party, Teslim Folarin; senator representing Oyo North, Abdulfatai Buhari; Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu; former Oyo Deputy Governor, Rauf Olaniyan; lawyer, Akeem Agbaje; former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu; former Oyo Health Commissioner, Azeez Adeduntan; Saheed Oladele, Gbenga Adegbola, and Kunle Busari, the son of the late Ibadan strong politician in the First and Second Republic, Chief Busari Adelakun, popularly known as Eruobodo.

On Thursday, the government approved the promotion of Alli in a memo authorised by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Ademola Ojo, titled: “Re: Request for the list of High Chiefs who are due for elevation to wear beaded crown in Ibadanland,” with registration number CB,211/10Vol IT/67 dated March 26, 2026, a copy of which was obtained by The PUNCH.

The letter was addressed to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja.

The letter read, “I have the directive to refer to Your Majesty’s correspondence ref no L/ADV/Co/1242/843 dated 23rd March, 2026, in respect of the above and to inform Your Majesty that while making arrangements for the compilation of the High Chiefs and Baales who are due for beaded crown wearing in Ibadanland as requested.

“It is traditionally necessary and very essential at this point in time that the newly elevated Chiefs in Olubadan in Council, i.e. High Chief Akeem Bolaji Adewoyin, Ekeerin Olubadan, High Chief Sharafadeen Ali, Ekaarun Balogun and High Chief Kola Babalola, Ekaarun Olubadan, should be immediately conferred with beaded crowns in order to avoid unnecessary insinuation that the delay is deliberate and political.

“This is necessary in order to protect the Ibadan traditional institution. To this end, Your Majesty is hereby informed that the coronation/crown-wearing programme for the above-mentioned High Chiefs has been fixed for Friday, April 3, 2026, at the Mapo Hall, Ibadan.

“The promotion of the affected High Chiefs is in line with the 2024 Chieftaincy law as amended. With the promotion, the affected High Chiefs have become members of the Olubadan Advisory Council,” the letter stressed.

The PUNCH reports that in 2024, the Oyo State Government gazetted the new Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration, showing the new amendment.

The new Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration, which was passed by the state House of Assembly and signed into law by Governor Seyi Makinde in 2025, revised Section 4 of the 1957 Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration.

The original version stated: “The person who may be proposed as a candidate by the line whose turn it is to fill a vacancy in the office of the Olubadan shall be the most Senior (High) Chief in that Line.”

Section 4 of the amendment, titled “New Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration,” replaced “the most Senior (High) Chief in that Line” with “the most Senior Beaded Crown Oba in that Line.”

Section 4 of the new law states: “The person who may be proposed as a candidate by the line whose turn it is to fill a vacancy in the office of the Olubadan shall be the most Senior Beaded Crown Oba in that line.”

When The PUNCH contacted the media aide to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Adeola Oloko, on Thursday, he confirmed the receipt of the letter from the state government.

He said, “The palace has received the letter confirming the promotion of the three high chiefs to the status of the beaded crown-wearing Obas.

“The letter has been forwarded to the beneficiaries, and we are expecting their responses at the appropriate time.”

When also contacted, the Public Relations Officer of APC, Wale Sadare, said, “It is not party affairs. The media aide to the senator will respond accordingly.”

Reacting to the development, a legal practitioner, Muideen  Olagunju, said there was no constitutional provision barring a traditional ruler from contesting elections.

“In my opinion, this is unprecedented in Oyo State. There is no express provision in the law that stops a monarch from contesting elections. It is more of a moral issue rooted in tradition than a legal restriction.”

He added that while traditional rulers were expected to be politically neutral, history has shown instances where monarchs participated in politics without legal consequences.

A close ally of Senator Alli, however, told The PUNCH that the lawmaker would not attend the coronation as fixed by the government.

The ally, who preferred anonymity because he was not authorised by the governorship aspirant to respond, said efforts by the Makinde-led government to stop the governorship aspiration of the senator would end in futility.

He said it was clear that Oba Ladoja was not ready for the promotion, as the palace was still compiling a list of other chiefs due for promotion.

Borrowing from the English poet, William Shakespeare, he said: “No amount of water in the rough, rude sea can wash the balm off from a man on whose shoulders it will please God to place the mantle of leadership of the state come next year.”

“Makinde can go ahead with the coronation. By the grace of the Almighty God, Alli will attend his coronation on May 29, 2027, when he will, Deo Volente, be crowned the governor of Oyo State.”

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the APC has raised the alarm over the consequences of what it described as mindless abandonment of the business of governance by Makinde for politics.

The party said Makinde’s personal fear of life after office heightened in his mind and those of his cronies, who, it alleged, milk the resources of the state dry at the expense of over seven million people and residents of the state.

Sadare, in a statement released in Ibadan, queried Makinde on the amount of time and resources of the state which he had spent recklessly in a bid to take full control of the dying Peoples Democratic Party at the expense of the people and residents of the Pacesetters State.

“When Makinde won his second term in office, some people were of the opinion that he would face governance squarely and deliver good governance as desired by all and sundry, but he chose to devote more time to fight for the soul of the PDP, which had been enmeshed in intractable crisis for quite some time.

“It is delusional for Makinde to have a belief that his luck in politics could carry him beyond the personal gains of his eight years in Agodi Government House, and if he continues to chase any office at the national level, the consequences would be anything but pleasant.

“More so, the current comatose status of the PDP was facilitated by some overrated political players who are members of the same umbrella party, including Governor Makinde, and it is certain that history would not be kind to them,” he said.

The party lamented that the governor was busy politicking instead of monitoring developments in the state.

“Last Tuesday, many lives of Ibadan residents were lost to a road accident at Oje market, and a few hours later, the governor gathered his supporters to discuss 2027 politics, and they all agreed on a date to leave the sinking ship of PDP.

“The following day, when residents were mourning in grief, Makinde decided to celebrate his reckless spending of the taxpayers’ money on the purchase of brand new cars for the inefficient elected council officials and illegal party officials.

“It is on record that Governor Makinde has demonstrated a lack of understanding of the implications of the ongoing war in the Middle East on the local economy of the state; otherwise, he would have taken some proactive measures in the interest of the populace rather than the show of opulence and ostentation.

“Most public hospitals, schools and institutions have been left to deteriorate while there are no new ones even as security challenges fester across the state and sad enough, the governor looks away,” APC lamented.(Punch)