The Oyo State House of Assembly says it has received six petitions calling for an urgent investigation into the selection and legitimacy of the Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I.
The petitions allege irregularities, political interference and violations of existing chieftaincy laws in the process that led to the monarch’s emergence.
The petition were submitted on 20 January 2026 some groups of concerned citizens and stakeholders under the platform of the Oyo Heritage Forum, and addressed to the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon Debo Ogundoyin.
The petitioners warned that failure to act swiftly could plunge the ancient Alaafin stool into prolonged legal and political instability, potentially leading to dethronement.
In one of the petition titled “Call for an Urgent Investigation into the Legitimacy of the Alaafin Selection Process and the Escalating Confrontation with the State Executive,” the group challenged the process that produced Oba Owoade and argued that the 1961 Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration vests the power of selection solely in the Oyo Mesi.
According to them, the Oyo Mesi had allegedly overwhelmingly voted in favour of Prince Lukman Gbadegesin before the state government intervened.
They described the eventual appointment of Oba Owoade as a circumvention of traditional consensus and a violation of established law.
The petitioners also referenced an ongoing court case, Suit No. HOY/05/2025, filed by Prince Gbadegesin, which it said has placed the Alaafin’s reign on shaky legal ground, Particular concern was raised over what the group described as reliance on Ifa divination during the selection process.
The group which cited a 2022 High Court ruling which held that Ifa consultation is not a legal requirement under the Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration and questioned the alleged use of emergency warrant chiefs to validate a process it claimed had already been concluded by the substantive Oyo Mesi.
The group pointed to Oba Owoade’s legal action against the Oyo State Government over the Oyo State Council of Obas (Further Amendments) Law, 2025, despite what it described as state involvement in his ascension, alleging that the monarch’s perceived alignment with the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) undermines the political neutrality expected of a traditional ruler.
“A monarch who emerged through government involvement cannot, in good conscience, challenge the same authority and align openly with partisan interests,” the petition argued.
The group are therefore demanding that the House of Assembly to convene a public hearing and invite surviving members of the Oyo Mesi to testify on whether due process was followed and called for a full review of the selection process to determine whether political interference influenced the nomination sent to the Executive Council.
In addition, the petitioners asked lawmakers to enforce strict compliance with the 2025 Council of Obas law, particularly its rotational chairmanship provisions.
They warned that no traditional ruler should be allowed to undermine reforms aimed at promoting equity among royal fathers in the state.
