One of the 82 aspirants for the Alaafin of Oyo stool, Prince Ismail Owoade, has initiated legal action against Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, challenging the governor’s decision to engage Professor Wande Abimbola to consult the Ifa oracle in determining the next Alaafin of Oyo.
In his suit, marked HOY/04/2025, and filed at the Oyo State High Court, Owoade, a kinsman of the newly appointed Alaafin, Oba Akeem Owoade, decried the appointment of Professor Abimbola as “strange, unknown to Oyo Native Law and Custom,” arguing that it violated both the Chiefs Law of Oyo State, 2000, and the Registered Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961.
Owoade is seeking a court declaration that the step taken by Governor Makinde is “invalid, illegal, null, and void.”
The suit, filed by his counsel, B.P. Ogundele, dated January 28, 2025, lists Prince Ismail Olamilekan Owoade as the claimant, with the defendants including the Governor of Oyo State, Attorney-General of Oyo State, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Abimbola Owoade, Prince Lukman Gbadegesin, Prince Yusuf Layinka (the Basorun of Oyo), and 14 others.
Owoade contends that if consulting the Ifa oracle is deemed necessary, the responsibility should fall to the Baba Iyaji of Oyo, who, alongside the Oyo Mesi and the Oluwo Alaafin, should be responsible for performing the consultation. He argues that the governor has no authority to engage Professor Abimbola for this purpose.
He prays for “a declaration by this honorable court that the appointment of Chief Professor Wande Abimbola to consult Ifa divination for the appointment of the Alaafin of Oyo by the 1st defendant is strange, unknown to Oyo Native Law and Custom, and not in accordance with the Chiefs Law of Oyo State 2000 and the Registered Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961. Consequently, it should be declared invalid, illegal, null, and void.”
Additionally, Owoade seeks an order to annul the appointment, approval, and presentation of Oba Akeem Owoade as Alaafin of Oyo, arguing that the process violated the Chiefs Law of Oyo State 2000 and the Registered Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961. He also requests an interlocutory injunction to restrain Akeem Owoade from being presented as the Alaafin of Oyo by the Oyo State Governor on April 4, 2025.
This request is based on the exclusion of the Baba Iyaji, who, under the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961, is responsible for presenting the most qualified candidate to the kingmakers.
Owoade further demands an injunction preventing Prince Lukman Gbadegesin from parading himself as the Alaafin of Oyo, noting that the Basorun of Oyo also excluded the Baba Iyaji in the appointment process, which is contrary to the Chiefs Law of Oyo State 2000 and the Registered Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration of 1961.
The claimant seeks an order declaring that the process which led to the selection of Prince Lukman Ayinla Gbadegesin by the kingmakers, which excluded the Baba Iyaji, did not comply with the necessary legal frameworks, rendering his selection and appointment invalid, unlawful, and unconstitutional.
Furthermore, Owoade is asking the court to affirm the process conducted by Baba Iyaji, which led to his nomination as the leading candidate for the Alaafin stool, as the valid, lawful, and constitutional procedure. He is requesting that the court mandate the kingmakers (Oyo Mesi) to complete the process under the guidance of Baba Iyaji.
Meanwhile, the Alaafin-designate, Oba Abimbola Owoade, has rejected the formation of a coronation committee by unauthorized individuals. In a personally signed statement, the monarch declared the committee illegal, emphasizing that any such committee must first receive his consent and approval.
Oba Owoade instructed the organizers to dissolve their plans for the coronation, issuing a notice titled “Coronation Committee Setup in Oyo Town – Notice of Cease & Desist.” The statement warned that any committee or activity organized without the approval of His Imperial Majesty would be deemed unauthorized and illegal.
The statement reads: “Let it be known to all and sundry that any committee or activity being organized without the prior consent and approval of His Imperial Royal Majesty and his office shall be deemed unauthorized and may constitute an illegality that will not be allowed to stand.
“Therefore, the general public and the organizers of the so-called coronation committee in Oyo town are hereby informed that no approval or consent was given by the Alaafin, Oba Abimbola Owoade I. As such, all further meetings related to this matter must cease immediately.
“Any fundraising activity shall be at the discretion of the royal family, which will determine the composition of any necessary committee.
“The efforts of the organizers are appreciated, and they will be duly informed should the need arise in the future.”
The statement further instructed the committee organizers to dissolve any apparatus associated with the initiative immediately, emphasizing that any activity must first be cleared by the office of the Kabiyesi before being made public.
“Let it be clear that any initiative or activity undertaken by anyone must first be cleared by the office of Kabiyesi before being made public.
“Oyo a gbe wa o, Ile Yoruba a dara fun wa o, Ase wa!” (Punch)
