Alaafin: Oyo global forum calls for withdrawal of Obas’ concurrent chairmanship bill 

The Oyo Global Forum (OGF), a global network of Nigerians of Oyo extraction, has condemned the Council of Obas and Chiefs (Further Amendment) Bill, 2025, currently before the Oyo State House of Assembly. 

The Forum, in a statement on Thursday by its chairman, Taiwo Adebayo, said the bill before the Assembly seeks to strip the Alaafin of Oyo of his rightful sole permanent chairmanship of the Council of Obas and introduce a concurrent arrangement placing the Alaafin, the Olubadan of Ibadan, and the Soun of Ogbomoso as equals.

The statement described the proposal as an affront to a deeply rooted institution that has, for centuries, symbolised the cultural unity, identity, and civilisation of the Yoruba people. “The Alaafin’s role as Permanent Chairman is not a matter of privilege or politics, but one rooted in historical precedent and traditional seniority,” the forum said. 

Continuing, it explained that passing such a bill into law would undermine a centuries-long legacy, one that Yoruba people should be proud of and ready to protect and preserve at all times. 

“However, we have witnessed with grave concern a troubling blend of steps to degrade the influence of the Alaafin. At one point, Alaafin’s chiefs were elevated to Part II obas while the throne of their natural consenting authority was vacant, creating a bad precedent that severely limits the Alaafin’s powers over them when they go rogue and rebellious, or are even influenced by external forces against the Alaafin.

“Since the coronation of Alaafin Owoade I, there has been a growing hope for the restoration and continuity of the revered stool. However, this bill threatens to set even worse and worrisome precedents that distort traditional hierarchies.

“To legislate a concurrent chairmanship not only risks a destabilising reinterpretation of Yoruba traditional hierarchies but also disregards the cultural, historical, and spiritual significance of the Alaafin’s place in our collective identity,” the statement further reads. 

The forum therefore called on all stakeholders to approach this moment with a clear understanding of what is at stake, adding that not just positions or titles, but the legacy of an entire civilization, the common heritage of a proud Oyo-Yoruba people. 

The statement specifically urged the Oyo State House of Assembly to reconsider and withdraw the bill while urging the state governor, Seyi Makinde; the traditional stakeholders and royal institutions; and other Yoruba people at home and in the diaspora to reject any move that could erode their heritage, describing Alaafin’s stool as a cultural cornerstone that must be protected.

“This is more than a legislative matter; it is a defining moment for our cultural identity. Alaafin must remain the SOLE Permanent Chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs,” the statement added.

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