After more than a decade of dormancy, the traditional heartbeat of Oyo State was meant to beat again — but it has instead exposed ancient fault lines and reignited old rivalries that many hoped had long been buried. The reinauguration of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs by Governor Seyi Makinde was portrayed as a historic restoration of tradition. Yet, beneath the pomp and protocol, an unresolved battle for authority threatens to unravel the very institution it was meant to strengthen.
For nearly 15 years, the council — once the pillar of traditional governance in Yorubaland — lay inactive, paralysed by disputes over leadership, legal challenges, and bitter disagreements about hierarchy within the state’s royal order. When the council was finally reconvened in January 2026, it brought with it a question older than the Nigerian state itself: who truly leads?
Old Wounds, New Flashpoints
The tension traces back decades, rooted in the shifting sands of Yoruba history where royal preeminence was never absolute but negotiated. In the old Oyo Empire, the Alaafin of Oyo stood paramount, his influence acknowledged across towns and kingdoms. But the carving out of new states, the rise of Ibadan and Ogbomoso as powerful city-states, and the ever-shifting relationship between custom and modern governance have diluted that singular authority over time.
In earlier decades, federal and state governments — military and civilian — navigated these tensions with caution, aware that a misstep could unsettle centuries-old customs. Even then, the courts, councils, and palaces became arenas for political and cultural contestation.
Rotation or Relegation?
The latest flashpoint centres on a seemingly administrative arrangement: the chairmanship of the council. In a contentious move, the Oyo State House of Assembly amended the state Chieftaincy Law to introduce a rotational chairmanship among the three foremost monarchs — the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, and the Soun of Ogbomoso. This amendment was meant to symbolize equity and reflect shifting realities in traditional authority.
But not everyone sees it that way. While some traditional rulers and palace representatives welcomed the rotation as recognition of evolving realities in Yoruba traditional order, critics argue it undermines centuries-old hierarchy and rewrites history to fit modern convenience.
At the inauguration, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, was named chairman under the rotational arrangement — a development that many saw as both symbolic and controversial.
Royal Resentment and Political Overtones
The applause was far from unanimous. The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, publicly rejected the rotational proposal, insisting he was neither consulted nor in agreement with the process that led to the council’s reconstitution. His palace issued statements disputing the governor’s claims of inclusive dialogue and emphasising that the traditional protocols were overlooked.
Meanwhile, civil society groups representing scholars and Yoruba communities have criticised the council’s rebirth, arguing it neglects the Alaafin’s historically recognised pre-eminence in favour of procedural symmetry.
This resistance spills into broader public discourse, eliciting voices that see the tug-of-war not merely as ceremonial but as a reflection of deeper anxieties about identity, power, and cultural memory in a modern Nigeria still wrestling with colonial legacies and internal diversity.
What It Means for Tradition and Governance
Today’s Oyo is a tapestry woven from centuries of empire, community autonomy, and evolving political norms. The council’s resurrection — rather than reconciling these threads — has revealed how fragile the balance can be.
Observers worry that without careful dialogue, the leadership wrangling could deepen divisions, diminish the moral authority of traditional institutions, and distract from pressing issues such as security, social cohesion, and development. Others argue that recalibrating leadership within the council reflects a necessary evolution, one that honours multiple centres of cultural influence beyond old imperial certainties.
Either way, the controversy is a reminder that in Oyo State, tradition is not static; it is lived, contested, and continually recreated. What was meant to be a celebration of heritage has turned into a crucible of contemporary identity — with implications that stretch far beyond palace walls.
