The Olugbon of Orile-Igbon, Oba Francis Olusola Alao, has expressed his dissatisfaction to the Obaship amendment bill before the Oyo State House of Assembly.
A statement by his media consultant, Bisi Oladele, explained that if the bill is allowed to sail through, Ibadan’s dominance on other zones would have been cemented.
“The Palace of the Olugbon of Orile-Igbon views the Council of Obas and Chiefs (further amendment) Bill 2025 before the Oyo State House of Assembly as a faulty political document whose consideration should be halted to give room for consultations.
“The bill is faulty and defective because there was no adequate consultation by the House of Assembly, neither was there public hearing or enquiry before it was presented and considered,” he said.
The bill seeks to make the Alaafin of Oyo the permanent chairman and the Olubadan of Ibadan and Soun of Ogbomoso co-chairmen. The three monarchs will be concurrent chairmen.
Continued Olugbon: “The amendment also listed the 10 Ibadan high chiefs who are members of the Olubadan-In-Council, as members of the Council. This is an aberration in culture and tradition.
“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.
“In the proposed amendment, the law further cements Ibadans’ dominance on 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 the governors since 1999 with the exception of the late Adebayo Alao-Akala.
“While there is 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.
“The Olugbon urges the lawmakers and other stakeholders to suspend work on the bill and consult widely to avoid passing a bill that will breed crisis among monarchs in Oyo State,” said the statement.
