A controversial reform introduced by former Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi in 2017 almost disrupted Ibadan’s royal succession, which is known for its seamlessness and predictability.

Acting on the recommendations of the Akintunde Boade Commission, Mr Ajimobi, who passed away in 2020, issued White Papers and gazettes that elevated nine high chiefs and 21 Baales to the status of beaded-crown Obas.

At a colourful ceremony in Mapo Hall in August 2017, the newly crowned chiefs and Baales wore beaded crowns and were presented with staff of office in what the governor hailed as a modernisation of Ibadan’s chieftaincy system.

An elevated high chief would be addressed as ‘His Royal Majesty,’ while the elevated Baales would be addressed as ‘His Royal Highness.’

Despite their new ranks, all remained under the authority of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, who bore the title of “His Imperial Majesty.’

Officials made it clear that although the chiefs now held royal positions, none was allowed to add the “-land” suffix to their titles, a privilege reserved strictly for the Olubadan.

Mr Ajimobi’s commission also recommended collapsing the hierarchical rungs in the Otun and Balogun lines to shorten the decades-long movement that often resulted in aged Olubadans ascending the throne.

But the move ignited a controversy as Ibadan’s unique succession system, whereby the Olubadan emerges through promotion up the ladder of two traditional lines – Otun and the Balogun.

Under the system introduced by the Ajimobi administration, many deemed the high chiefs elevated to Obaship to have left the Olubadan ladder.

The event marked a turning point in the history of the city, which historically had the Olubadan as the only beaded crown-wearing traditional ruler.

Ladoja’s resistance

Among the fiercest opponents of the changes was Rashidi Ladoja, then Osi Olubadan and former state governor. He boycotted the Mapo coronation, rejected pressure to accept a crown himself, and sued Mr Ajimobi’s government.

Accepting a beaded crown, he argued, would betray Ibadan tradition and render the orderly succession meaningless.

Powerful political voices urged him to reconsider. But he would not budge.

In November 2019, the Oyo State High Court, through a consent judgment presided over by Justice Aderonke Aderemi, set aside gazettes 14 and 15 of 2017 and 3 of 2018 that legalised the new Obas. The ruling revoked the right to wear crowns and restored the primacy of the 1957 Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration.

The 1957 Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration

The 1957 Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration is the legal framework that guides succession to the throne of the Olubadan. It formally set out the traditional arrangement where the seat alternates between two distinct lines of high chiefs: the Otun (civil line) and the Balogun (military line).

Advancement is strictly by seniority, with each chief moving step by step through the hierarchy until the most senior surviving chief in the line due for rotation becomes the next Olubadan.

The 1957 declaration legalised a system long praised for its orderliness and fairness. It eliminated uncertainty around succession and reduced disputes, ensuring that the Olubadan stool is filled based on progression rather than appointment. It gave all male sons of Ibadan the chance to aspire to be Olubadan.

However, Mr Ajomobi argued that revising the Olubadan chieftaincy system was not new. He reminded critics that Oyo State had made reviews in the past, going as far back as the 1970s and repeating the process in 1981, 1993, and again in 2000.

He also pointed out that Mr Ladoja, as governor, set up the Adio Commission to review the Olubadan chieftaincy declaration but later discarded the recommendations.

Mr Ajimobi said the reform was pushed forward after steady pressure from within the Ibadan community. He named the proponents of the reforms to include the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) and respected individuals like Theophilus Akinyele and the late Omowale Kuye.

The 1957 Olubadan chieftaincy system holds

The practical effect of the court’s decision became clear in March 2022, when the then most senior high chief, Lekan Balogun, was installed as the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland.

Had Mr Ajimobi’s elevation stood, Mr Balogun’s prior coronet title might have invalidated his claim to the Olubadan stool, along with other high chiefs.

Professor of African Studies Toyin Falola clearly depicted the situation. On Thursday, he told PREMIUM TIMES that by crowning Baales and certain high chiefs as Obas, the law would have dismantled the Olubadan-in-Council’s structured ladder of promotion.

He added that it would also have created new royal titles and jurisdictions outside the scope of the 1957 Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration, which had long defined the non-ruling status of such offices.

He further noted that the reform could have prevented Mr Ladoja from becoming Olubadan if he had not declined the crown and the court had insisted on “the reform in its integrity without exception.”

Mr Ladoja later reconciled with his colleagues in the Olubadan-in-Council, moving up to Otun Olubadan and edging closer to the throne he fought to preserve.

Governor Makinde introduces his own reforms

Governor Seyi Makinde later signed an amendment to the Oyo State Chiefs Law in 2023, expressly empowering the governor to confer beaded crowns.

However, unlike Mr Ajimobi’s reform, Governor Makinde’s amendment clarifies that the traditional ladder to the Olubadan stool remained untouched. Even with beaded crowns, the high chiefs would retain their position in the ladder and still be eligible to become Olubadan when their turn comes.

So, while Mr Ajimobi’s approach left the system vulnerable to legal challenge, Governor Makinde’s law closed the loophole by spelling out that wearing a crown does not exclude them from ascending.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the revised chieftaincy declaration altered Section 4, changing the eligibility wording from “the most Senior (High) Chief in that line” to “the most Senior Beaded Crown Oba in that line.”

This initially raised fears that chiefs who refused coronets might lose their place in succession, but the law also clarified that the Olubadan ladder remained intact. That assurance explains why even Mr Ladoja, once Mr Ajimobi’s critic, eventually accepted the crown under Governor Makinde’s version of the law.

The law was put to its first real test in March 2024, following the death of Oba Lekan Balogun. His successor, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, emerged as the most senior chief on the Balogun line and, crucially, already held a beaded crown conferred under the Governor Makinde-era’s law. Therefore, his elevation satisfied tradition and the new legal framework, unlike the uncertainty that trailed Mr Ajimobi’s reforms.

It was only after Mr Olakulehin’s installation that Mr Ladoja accepted the beaded crown, reassured that the amendment guaranteed his place in the line of succession.

On Friday (26 September), Mr Ladoja will be crowned as the 44th Olubadan, a culmination of years of resistance, legal battles, and eventual compromise that ensured the city’s unique succession system remained intact while adapting to modern realities.