After physical sighting of the next-in-line to the Olubadan of Ibadan’s throne Oba Owolabi Olakulehin on Friday, members of the council will meet this week to decide on whether to nominate him as the next Olubadan or not.
The Obas had put their decision on hold since Oba Lekan Balogun joined his ancestors on March 14, shunning a meeting called by the Otun Olubadan High Chief Rashidi Ladoja for that purpose about a fortnight ago.
A source close to the council told our correspondent that it would be meeting this week to decide on Olakulehin’s enthronement as the next Olubadan if his health condition is suitable for the throne.
The council will likely meet tomorrow (Monday) at the Olubadan Palace at Mapo or Mapo Hall.
But the new development will not end the intrigues that have dominated the activities of the council since the demise of Oba Balogun.
Ladoja, who is the Otun Olubadan and the most senior on the Otun line, is the only member of the council that did not accept enthronement as an Oba, both in 2017 and 2023.
He had dragged the state government to court over his colleagues’ enthronement as Oba by the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi in 2017.
After obtaining a judgment against the 2017 enthronement, the former governor forced his colleagues to surrender their crowns as the condition for Oba Balogun’s enthronement in 2022.
After his refusal to accept the same crown last year, he also went to court to challenge their re-enthronement by the current governor Seyi Makinde. The case is still being heard at a high court in Ibadan.
Since Oba Balogun joined his ancestors and Oba Olakulehin did not make public appearance, Ladoja and other members of the council have been making moves and counter moves.
For instance, Ladoja was said to have called a meeting for Tuesday, upper week to nominate Oba Olakulehin but his colleagues shunned the meeting. Rather, they met the day before where they appointed Oba Eddy Oyewole as their interim head and also declared that no decision would be taken on Olakulehin until they see him in person.
The Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration stipulates that anyone to be enthroned as the Olubadan has to be in good health and must not have criminal record.
The appointment of Oba Oyewole was seen as a move to show Ladoja that he was not popular among them. Ladoja is on a higher rank than Oyewole. But it is believed that Ladoja’s refusal to accept the crown and dragging his colleagues to court twice over the same issue has created disaffection between them.
In the rotational system, Ladoja is next-in-line after Olakulehin.
It is believed that Ladoja was behind the intervention of Ibadan elders which culminated in a meeting at Chief Bode Amoo’s house last week.
Some sources said Ladoja may be seeking rapprochement, seeing that he is getting closer to the throne of the Olubadan of Ibadan land.
While eight other high chiefs are Obas, only Ladoja is still regarded as a high chief.
It is not clear if Olakulehin’s enthronement will somehow lead to an end to the bitterness among the council members.
