Nine royal families in the Atiba ruling house in Oyo Town have called on the state government to allow equity, justice and fairness in the new Alaafin of Oyo installation process.
The royal families demanded that the installation of a new Alaafin of Oyo be discontinued pending the court of law’s determination of the matter surrounding it.
The call was made on Monday, September 12, 2022, at a press conference in Oyo Town.
The nine royal families are direct descendants of the Atiba Ruling House and were present at the conference, with Prince Afolabi Ademola Adesina, as their spokesman.
They included Princes Makanjuola Adediran (Adediran-Ese Apata); Adebowale Adesiyan (Adesiyan); Adediwura Lamola (Olanite); and Adetunji Adesokan (Adesokan Baba Idode).
Others were Princes Agboin Olayiwola (Adelabu Baba Ibadan); Afolabi Ademola Adesina (Adeitan); Remi Azeez (Tella Okitipapa); Adekunle Bello (Iteade Abidekun); and Tella Agbojulogun (Agbojulogun) who was away in Lagos but was said to have given his consent.
The 45th Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, of the Alowolodu Royal Family, joined his ancestors on April 23, 2022, at the age of 83, prompting the process of choosing a successor to the royal stool.
119 candidates from 10 royal families, all belonging to the Atiba Dynasty, applied for the vacant stool.
However, nine ruling houses, one of which Prince Adesina belongs to, were reportedly marginalized.
Prince Adesina said that it was unprecedented that there would be discrimination among the children of Alaafin Atiba.
“In the olden days, upon the demise of a king, we would choose anyone among us with love, and he would become our father,” Prince Adesina said.
However, he pointed out that the recent marginalisation of the nine royal families had negated the oneness, as only the Agunloye royal family was cleared for the installation of a new Alaafin after the recent death of Oba Lamidi Onaolapo Adeyemi III.
Going into history, Prince Adesina said: “In 1961, upon the dethronement of Oba Adeniran, Alaafin Gbadegesin of Agunloye Ruling House made a declaration for the clearing of only two ruling houses to benefit from Alaafin stool, out of 21 male children of Alaafin Atiba.
“There was another development in 2001 when the former Governor Lam Adesina gazetted into law the white paper and the decision of Oloko Enquiry that Atiba Local Government should make amendments which would include all other nine excluded royal families, through the State Secretary of Government, Chief Michael Koleoso.”
Prince Adesina said that the nine excluded royal families are appealing to the government of Oyo State to discontinue the process of choosing a successor to the stool of the Alaafin until the court determines on the matter before it.
“We are now pleading that going by Ojukwu versus military administrator of Lagos State, and I quote 1986 JELR 51747 Supreme Court decision that ‘the judiciary is empowered to decide independently the matter before it to which the interest of the government or to which the interest of an individual is inclusive.’
“So, we seek for discontinuation of the process of choosing Alaafin which is ongoing, which excluded all other royal families that were recommended and approved by Commissions of Enquiry.
“It is to this effect I spoke on behalf of all my colleagues. We seek the discontinuation until the determination of the matter in the law court, because if it is not done, it may lead to what is not encouraging after the decision of the court. Nobody can preempt the court decision,” Prince Adesina finalised at the press conference.
