The royal rumble between the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji and some Ibadan High Chiefs took another dimension on Thursday when the High Chiefs vowed not to return to the Olubadan palace unless they were accorded due recognition as ‘Obas’.
DAILY POST recalls that the crisis between the monarch and his chiefs, who are members of the Olubadan-in-Council, started when the immediate past Governor of Oyo state, Mr. Abiola Ajimobi, set up a panel of inquiry to review the Ibadan chieftaincy declaration in 2017.
The crisis, which has made the monarch and the High Chiefs to be operating on cat and mouse basis since then, reached its peak when Ajimobi crowned and installed the Chiefs in a controversial manner on Sunday, 27th August 2017.
Since then, the Olubadan and the High Chiefs have been going in different directions, the development which made several indigenes, prominent Nigerians, groups, traditional rulers and individuals including Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to call for truce on the matter.
However, the Olubadan and the High Chiefs at a recent meeting at the palace promised to settle their differences with a declaration that they will resuscitate the Olubadan-in-Council meeting which has ceased since the crisis started.
But the crisis, which many perceived to have nearly settled, turned a new leave on Thursday when the High Chiefs led by the Otun Olubadan of Ibadan land, Lekan Balogun and the Balogun of Ibadanland, Owolabi Olakulehin, insisted that they would only return to the Olubadan palace if they are accorded due recognition as ‘Obas’ and not as High Chiefs.
The High Chiefs, after rising from a meeting held at the Alalubosa residence of Olakulehin in Ibadan, on Thursday, said their new status as kings had already been gazetted which means they are legally recognised as kings and not high chiefs.
They insisted that they will continue to shun the Olubadan palace unless the monarch and his aides recognised and addresses them as kings.
The High Chiefs, who vowed to resist any attempt to remove their Obaship titles from their names, said that it is not mandatory for them to wear crowns all the time they go out, adding that those peddling the rumour should observe other popular kings in Yorubaland including Olubadan if it is every time they wear their crowns.
They noted that it is a fact that their status as kings has come to stay and nothing on earth could undo that.
According to them, Ajimobi who meant well for Ibadan and its people approved them as kings.
“The court attested to it in March 2018 when, in addition to the earlier promoted 21 kings, another 27 kings were elevated and empowered by the Chieftaincy Laws of Oyo State Cap 28, section 28 (i) vol. 1.”
“The reform carried out by the immediate past governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi was in the best interest of Ibadan and in response to the agelong agitation for befitting status for the Ibadan high chiefs within the larger Oyo State Council of Obas and chiefs”.
“What they don’t know is that even without wearing crowns to the Olubadan palace, we are obas. For anybody to say remove your crowns before you come to us, it is absurd. We won’t return to Olubadan palace as high chiefs but as obas.
“We are not fighting Olubadan at all, he is the one fighting us. What we are saying is that he should accord us the respect and recognition that we deserve. Two, we have told him many times that his wife(Olori) has no right to sit with us at Olubadan-in-council meeting. She is not a member.
“We learnt that she still sat at a meeting recently and as long as that impunity continues, there won’t be peace. We love and cherish peace, but things must be done properly,” Balogun and Olakulehin said on behalf of their colleagues.
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