A few high chiefs in Ibadan, Oyo state, have hit out at a former Attorney-General of the state, Michael Lana, over his position that ex-Senator, Lekan Balogun, is unfit to be crowned as the next Olubadan of Ibadan.
The late Olubadan of Ibadan, Saliu Adetunji, died on Sunday at the University College Hospital, Ibadan and has since been buried.
Following the death of the monarch, Balogun who is currently the Otun Olubadan is next in line to be king.
However, Lana who wrote to Governor Seyi Makinde, said crowning Balogun as the new Ibadan would amount to a nullity.
He said the fact that Abiola Ajimobi, former Oyo governor, conferred the title of Obaship on some high chiefs and Baales and gave them the right to wear beaded crowns and coronets in 2017, has already disqualified them from becoming Olubadan as contained in the Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration of 1957.
Reacting in another letter addressed to the governor, the chiefs through their lawyers, K. Eleja, Wahab Egbewole and Adekunle Sobaloju, argued that the letter by Lana, was not a true representation of the law and facts.
“We wish to state that the content of the said letter is not a true representation of the law and the facts on the ascension to the Olubadan stool and we have our client’s instruction to debunk the misconception and controversy being whipped up by the content of the said letter,” they said.
They stated that contrary to Lana’s position, the Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration of 1957 does not disqualify anyone from becoming Olubadan because of a conferment of rights to wear a beaded crown as high chiefs of Ibadanland “as it is on record that none of the High Chiefs was at any point in time appointed or installed as Olubadan of Ibadanland or vested with the rights to wear a beaded crown as Olubadan of Ibadanland”.
“All that was done was to confer on the high chiefs the right to wear beaded crown pursuant to the enabling statute in this regard,” they said.
“The conferment of the right to wear beaded crowns on the high chiefs did not elevate any of the chiefs to the status of the Olubadan of Ibadanland as the Olubadan at all times remained the paramount king and ruler of Ibadanland with the position of an emperor and addressed as “His Imperial Majesty” while each of the high chiefs who are lesser to the Olubadan are referred to as “His Royal Majesty” and they remained in their respective lines and ranks on the Olubadan ascendancy chain and have always retained their respective positions as Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, Osi Olubadan of Ibadanland, Balogun of Ibadan, etc.
“The conclusion of Mr. Michael Lana is therefore self-serving, unfounded and a gross misconception of the purport of the restructuring of the Ibadan chieftaincy order by the previous administration in Oyo state.”
