For history and records purposes

Details of processes leading to the selection of prince Lukman Gbadegesin as the next Alaafin of Oyo.

(1) On the 22nd of April 2022, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111 joined his ancestors and funeral rites (both official and traditional)concluded ,the process of selecting the new Alaafin began in earnest so as not to create a prolonged interregnum.

(2) As is in the tradition and in line with the Alaafin Chieftaincy declaration of 1961, oyomesi , the traditional kingmakers, are the appointing authority for the emergence of new Oba.

(3)Atiba local government, in whose immediate jurisdiction the Alaafin and oyomesi operate, sought the approval of the governor on the 28th July 2022 to commence the process of selecting the new Alaafin and approval was granted on the 5th of August 2022 through a letter with reference number CB,141/38/1/55.Oyo state government equally appointed a warrant chief to replace the vacant stool of Ashipa through the same letter.

(4) The process began but sadly another member of oyomesi, the Alapinni died and another approval was issued to appoint warrant chief through a letter with reference CB,211/3.Vol.1/71

(5) 82 aspirants appeared and were interviewed by the oyomesi and on the 30th of September 2022, the Oyomesi unanimously appointed Prince Lukman Adelodun Ayinla Gbadegesin as the new Alaafin.

(6)Atiba local government, conveyed the appointment of new Alaafin to the Governor on the 4th of October 2022 in accordance to the chiefs law of Oyo state.

(7) The chiefs law of Oyo state provides in section 20 and subsections thereof that a dissatisfied aspirant or a ruling house should present a petition to the governor within 21 days of the receipt of a new Alaafin appointment by the governor.

( there was no petition to the Governor as required by the Oyo state chiefs law but one of the aspirants,dissatisfied with the process,approached Oyo state high court sitting in Oyo judicial division.

(7) The dissatisfied aspirants made the Governor, attorney general of Oyo state, commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs and all member of oyomesi ( seven in number) the defendants in the suit.The governor,as represented by the director of civil litigation, stated before the court that he received no petition from either the aspirants or a ruling house within
21 days and could therefore not be dragged before the court as the dissatisfied aspirant did not observe the conditions precedent before approaching the court.

(All the defendants as enumerated in paragraph 7 above successfully defended the process before the court and the court on the 19th of December 2022 agreed with the defendants in its judgment that the conditions precedent were not observed before coming to court and therefore declared the process valid and legal.

(9) Thereafter there was no crisis of any such until a year later after the general election that two of the seven members Oyomesi who had earlier signed and defended the declaration of prince Lukman Gbadegesin as Alaafin before a court curiously announced their rejection of the process and that the Governor should invalidate the process already endorsed without any supportive reason except on a filmsy excuse that they collected money, from who Or through which medium.

(10) Surprisingly the governor seems to be supporting the view expressed by the two of the seven oyomesi members.We have this suspicion because of the roles of the ministry of local government in the ongoing litigation between the oyomesi and the EFCC

The questions arising from the totality of the above are;

(i) No official petition is sent to the governor either by the dissatisfied aspirants or a ruling house within 21 days. Even the two members of oyomesi who are now trying to sing a new song did not write to the governor officially because the chiefs law does not provide them with a locus to complain.

(ii) No official letter is sent to the oyomesi by the government to question the validity of the process that led to the appointment of new Alaafin up till date.

(iii)Assuming without conceding that the allegation of bribery is true, how validly could anyone who collected money for the performance of a specific task and he did perform the task report the case of bribery after more than a year?

(iv) without official complaint from either a ruling house or an aspirant to the Governor, in whose interest is Mr.Governor withholding his assent? We respectfully feel that as our Governor he is under obligation to protect all interests involved in any matter before him without any form of bias.

(V) The Alaafin chieftaincy declaration provides that a candidate with majority among the kingmakers shall be proclaimed the Alaafin. There are five living members of oyomesi, out of five only two are complaining, the two warrant chiefs appointed by the government joined the majority to make it five against two, why is the opinion or complaint of two superior to the majority of five?

On the 10th of January 2025, the governor announced a name different from the name submitted by the kingmakers. This is in clear violation of customary law as codified by Alaafin of Oyo Chieftaincy declaration of 1961 which puts the sole authority to summon a meeting to select Alaafin on Bashorun of oyo.

The particulars of breach of the law are as follows;

(1) There is no official complaint of bribery either by an unsuccessful candidate or a ruling house to the Governor as required by oyo state chief law in section 20 and subsections thereof.

(2) No official communication to the kingmakers to inform them whether their selection has been approved or set aside, the governor decided to use unofficial means to indicate or suggest the appointment has been set aside .

(3) an unsuccessful candidate had gone to court to challenge the kingmakers over their failure to use ifa and the court in its ruling of 15th December 2022 declared that since the customary law guiding the selection of Alaafin has been codified in Alaafin Chieftaincy declaration of 1961 and there is no provision for consultation of ifa oracle therein, it is illegal to bring ifa into the selection process of new Alaafin, in a viral video professor Wande Abímbólá claimed the governor engaged him to consult ifa oracle in the selection of new alaafin against a subsisting ruling of the court.

(4) No single member of oyomesi is suspended, removed or had died , yet the governor usurped their powers, convened a meeting and appointed someone as a king. Copied

B




G

H

Oyo people should stop displaying their dirty linens in the public.

We have not been proud of them lately with their unnecessary issue

Stampeding, sharia law and now Alaafin

Wetin happen gan self