The revered Alaafin of Oyo may have to rotate the chairmanship position of Oyo State traditional Council meeting during his absentia with the Olubadan of Ibadan land and the Soun of Ogbomoso respectilvely.
The Assembly is set to amend the Council of Obas and Chiefs Law of the state to now reflect a rotational chairmanship among the most prominent Obas in the state during meetings.
According to the newly proposed amendment to Section 3 of the Principal Law:
Section 3 of the Principal Law is amended as follows:
(a) In subsection (2), by deleting:
(i) the word “fifteen” before “persons” in line 1 and replacing it with “thirty-five”
(ii) the word “the” before “Schedule” in line 3 and inserting Roman numeral “I” after Schedule.
(b) In subsection (3), by deleting the provision and replacing it with the following:
> “(3) The Chairmanship of the Council shall be permanent and concurrent to the Alaafin of Oyo, Olubadan of Ibadan, and Soun of Ogbomoso, whilst the Deputy Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen shall be as contained in Schedule II and Schedule IA to this Bill.”
Amendment to Section 5 of the Principal Law
Section 5 of the Principal Law is amended by:
(a) Deleting the word “Chairman” in subsection (1) and replacing it with “Chairmen.”
(b) Renumbering subsections (2) and (3) as (3) and (4), respectively.
(c) Inserting a new subsection (2) as follows:
“(2) In any meeting of the Council, the Alaafin of Oyo shall preside. In the absence of the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadan shall preside. If both the Alaafin of Oyo and Olubadan of Ibadan are absent, the Soun of Ogbomoso shall preside.”
If this proposed amendment scales through the Assembly and is assented to by Governor Seyi Makinde, the Alaafin of Oyo—who currently enjoys the permanent chairmanship position and superintends over council meetings and appointments at his discretion—would now be required to share the presiding role with the Olubadan and the Soun of Ogbomoso in his absence.
This new move has elicited waves of reactions and divergent views in Oyo State with the Ibadan Stakeholders Rejecting Permanent Chairmanship for Alaafin
The stakeholders from Ibadan urged the Oyo State House of Assembly to maintain the rotational leadership system among traditional rulers in the state. This system, they argue, has promoted unity and respect among the Obas. They emphasized Ibadan’s significant contributions to Yorubaland’s development, citing historical examples such as the alliance between the Ibadan People’s party and the Action Group (AG) that enabled Chief Obafemi Awolowo to become the Premier of the Western region.
COUNCIL OF OBAS AND CHIEFS (FURTHER AMENDMENT) BILL, 2025
A Bill for a Law to Further Amend the Council of Obas and Chiefs Law, Cap. 37, Laws of Oyo State, 2000 (Commencement)
Co-sponsored by:
(i) Rt. Hon. E.A. Ogundoyin (Ibarapa East), Speaker
(ii) Hon. S.A. Onaolapo (Ogbomoso South), Leader of the House
(iii) Hon. A.E. Olajide (Lagelu), Chairman, Committee on Local Government, Chieftaincy Matters and State Honours
(iv) Hon. B.O. Adeola (Iseyin/Itesiwaju)
(v) Hon. B.G. Adebayo (Ibadan North II)
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Some Members of the Oyo Obas’ Council Include:
1. Alaafin of Oyo
2. Olubadan of Ibadan
3. Soun of Ogbomoso
4. Eleruwa of Eruwa
5. Orangun of Orile-Igbon
6. Okere of Saki
7. Aseyin of Iseyin
8. Onpetu of Ijeru
9. Olu of Igboora
10. Oloja of Ago-Oja
11. Akibio of Ilora
12. Otun Olubadan or Balogun (whichever is next in line)
13. Onikoyi of Ikoyi-Ile
14. Aresaadu of Iresaadu
15. Iba of Kisi
16. Asigangan of Igangan
17. Balogun or Otun Olubadan
18. Alajaawa of Ajaawa
19. Alepata of Igboho
20. Onigbeti of Igbeti
21. The Presiding Chairman of the Traditional Council in Saki East Local Government Area
22. Onitede of Tede or Are of Ago-Are or Ajoriwin of Irawo – to be rotated
23. The Presiding Chairman of the Traditional Council in Itesiwaju Local Government Area
24. Onjo of Okeho
25. Sabiganna of Iganna
26. Basorun of Oyo
27. Onilala of Lanlate