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•Wande Abimbola confirms selection by Ifa oracle
The selection of 47-year-old Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade, a Canada-based Nigerian as the new Alaafin of Oyo, is generating mixed reactions, especially among the contestants and the kingmakers, popularly known as Oyomesi.
Following the pronouncement by Governor Seyi Makinde on Friday that Prince Owoade would succeed the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who passed on April 11, 2022, the Oyomesi kicked, saying the decision was illegal and also a disregard for the judiciary.
Legal representative of the kingmakers, Adekunle Sobaloju (SAN), in a letter to the governor, expressed displeasure, stating that since there was a pending court case, the decision to announce Owoade was a disregard to the judiciary.
While some of the kingmakers have remained bitter and expressed their position through their legal representatives, The Guardian learnt that some of the contestants for the stool are equally livid, describing the “rush and shoddy process through which the governor settled for Prince Owoade, as questionable and not transparent.”
Counsel to the Oyomesi disclosed that 82 aspirants were interviewed on September 30, 2022, with the kingmakers unanimously appointing Prince Lukman Adelodun Ayinla Gbadegesin as the new Alaafin.
From the body language of the kingmakers, he added that one Prince Lukman Adelodun Gbadegesin seems to be their choice, who they said obtained the majority support of the kingmakers when the selection issue was put to vote.
They also forwarded Gbadegesin’s name to the governor for approval as the new Alaafin, which they claimed Governor Makinde refused to approve. This prompted a legal action from the kingmakers to stop the government until on Friday when it did the contrary by announcing Owoade.
For instance, one of the contestants, Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu, has refused to respond to media calls since the announcement was made. Interestingly, the apex Yoruba socio-cultural body, which Bishop Ladigbolu, belonged has deliberately kept quiet, not wanting to preempt the situation by issuing any congratulatory message to the newly selected monarch. A source within Afenifere disclosed that the group is still studying the situation, and might issue a statement after its next monthly meeting.
When contacted, Media Adviser to the Governor, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, insisted that the government followed due process before appointing Owoade. He also said the Oyomesi did not follow due process when they forwarded Gbadegesin’s name to the governor.
His words: “The first one did not follow the due process. But the latest one followed the due process. That was why the governor approved the latest selection by Oyomesi.”
MEANWHILE, the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams, in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, has congratulated the Alaafin-elect, describing him as a blessing to Oyo town and Yoruba race as a whole.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has lauded Owoade’s appointment. This is contained in a statement by the Director of Media and Public Affairs, Ooni’s Palace, Ile-Ife, Moses Olafare.
A professor of Yoruba Language and Literature, as well as a former vice-chancellor of the University of Ife, Prof. Wande Abimbola, has revealed the process through which the Alaafin-elect emerged.
According to the academic, he was asked by the government to consult the Ifa Oracle to choose the next Alaafin because the kingmakers had allegedly been compromised.
Abimbola revealed this in a video clip currently going viral on social media where he was asked by a concerned Nigerian to confirm or not information that he consulted Ifa to choose the new Alaafin. The erudite professor, who spoke eloquently in Yoruba Language, confirmed the news.