Two lawmakers walked out on Tuesday during a session where the Oyo State House of Assembly received the amended report of its committee. The report was related to a review of the Council of Obas and Chiefs.

Due to significant public criticism regarding the proposed amendment, the Assembly decided to revert to a rotational chairmanship among the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, and the Soun of Ogbomoso.

The bill was officially passed during the plenary session. This followed the presentation of the report by the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters and State Honours, delivered by its Vice Chairman, Bamidele Adeola.

The Assembly formally resolved that “the chairmanship position should be rotated among the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland and the Soun of Ogbomosoland.” This decision clarifies the new structure of the council’s leadership.

The bill, which had its second reading last Thursday on the floor of the House, sparked “heated arguments” among traditional rulers and stakeholders across the state.

Initially, the bill proposed making the Alaafin the permanent chairman. The Olubadan and Soun were to serve as concurrent chairmen, in that order of ranking, during the Alaafin’s absence.

However, the Olubadan and Soun “insisted on maintaining rotational chairmanship” with the Alaafin. They urged the Assembly to reverse its earlier decision, highlighting their strong preference for shared leadership.

It was gathered that the committee, in its report, proposed that the permanent chairmanship clause in the bill should be replaced with a rotational chairmanship among the Alaafin, the Olubadan and the Soun on a two-year term.

The bill also struck out the permanent presiding officer role initially vested in the Alaafin.

The committee also recommended that the 10 beaded crown-wearing Ibadan obas, ⁠Samu and Agbakin be included as members of the Council of Obas and Chiefs.

Some traditional rulers in the state, however, criticised the Assembly for expanding the council to include the 10 Ibadan obas.

While some stakeholders from Ibadanland and Ogbomosoland vilified the bill, others saw it as a welcome development.

Kicking against the rotational clause, the lawmakers representing Oyo East and Atiba constituencies, Olorunpoto Rahman and Gbenga Oyekola, respectively, walked out while the House was deliberating on the recommendation of the committee.

In a sideline interview with newsmen, Rahman said, “We should be guided by the truth in whatever law we make. Everyone knows the position of the Alaafin. We are not out of touch with history.

“Alaafin is a paramount ruler. We should not make a law for political convenience. We should make a law that can stand the test of time. We should make a law that will align with history.

“We are not satisfied with the process by the committee. There was neither a public hearing nor stakeholder engagement. There is no instance where they invited anyone from Oyo to speak on this bill. I have serious issues with that.”

The Palace of the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon also viewed the Council of Obas and Chiefs (further amendment) Bill 2025 as a faulty political document whose consideration should be halted to give room for consultations.

The palace, in a statement by the Media Consultant to Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Bisi Oladele, described the bill as faulty, decrying inadequate consultation by the Assembly.

“For such an important bill that seeks to revive and do justice to the council of obas and chiefs, the key stakeholders are the traditional rulers, who should have been adequately consulted before it was packaged. Besides, there should be a public hearing on the proposal.

“The actions on the bill so far clearly ignored the relevance of traditional rulers in Oyo State. It is openly based on political patronage,” the statement stated.

It lamented that the amendment further cemented Ibadans’ dominance over indigenes from other parts of the state.

“Should the bill be passed, indigenes of Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa zones will again become second-class indigenes in their own state, just as Ibadan indigenes have been dominating other parts of the state politically.

“The city has produced governors since 1999, except for the late Adebayo Alao-Akala.

“While there is a need for the council to be revived and strengthened, it should not be skewed in favour of a particular zone to further dominate other zones.

“It should reflect fairness, justice, equity, and possess the capacity to promote peace among traditional rulers in the state,” it added.

The Olugbon, Oba Francis Alao, urged the lawmakers and other stakeholders to suspend work on the bill and consult widely to avoid passing a bill that would breed crisis among monarchs in the state.

He also debunked the claim of historical significance of Ogbomoso by the mogajis of the town in their opposition to the bill.

Oba Alao noted that should history alone be the factor of decision-making concerning the constitution of the council’s leadership, the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon would be ahead of the Soun of Ogbomoso.

“We should not forget that the current palace of the Soun of Ogbomoso sits on the land that falls within Olugbon’s kingdom.

“Orile-Igbon borders with Ijeru, which is also more ancient than Ogbomoso.

“But demography has kept Ogbomoso in a better standing than other towns and communities in the zone.

“This is the reality all traditional rulers in the Ogbomoso zone accepted, and this accounts for why more ancient towns in the zone do not contend with the status accorded Soun in the Obas Council. We understand it as good for administrative and political convenience,” he added.

Oba Alao said Alaafin ran a huge kingdom with many other kingdoms under it, and believed Alaafin deserved the permanent chairmanship.

“Where is Soun’s kingdom? Where is Olubadan’s kingdom? Alaafin ran a huge kingdom with many other kingdoms under it.

“But we are putting the past behind us because the world is dynamic. Yet the honour must be there for the thrones that deserve it,” he added.

A group, the Ebedi Frontliners, Iseyin, has called on the Oyo State Government to make the Aseyin of Iseyin a co-chairman in the bill.

This was contained in a statement released by its Public Relations Officer, Segun Fasasi, in Ibadan, on Tuesday.

Ebedi Frontliners, in a statement, said, “Alaafin is representing the interests of four local government areas in Oyo town, Soun of Ogbomoso represents the interests of five local government areas while Olubadan represents the interests of 11 local government areas, leaving Oke-Ogun area with 10 local government areas with no co-chairmanship candidate.”

The group, however, lauded Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration for what it called “the democratisation of the state’s chieftaincy laws,” saying the legislative exercise would give more roles to the traditional rulers.

Credit: The Punch