Nine aggrieved members belonging to the Atiba ruling house of Oyo town has urged the Oyo State government to discontinue the process of selecting the new Alaafin in Oyo town.
The Occupants of the throne have been rotated between the Alowolodu and Agunloye families, but nine others – Olanite, Tella Okitipapa, Adesiyan, Tella Agbojulogun, Adelabu, Baba Idode, Abidekun, Adediran and Adeitan have asked to be included.
They contended that there are 11 legal descendants of Alaafin Atiba, and not two, as popularly believed, hence they should not only rotate between the Alowolodu and Agunloye families, but spread to other families.
They include the Prince Remi Azeez, the Mogaji of Tella Okiti Papa, Prince Makanjuola Adediran from Adediran Ese Apata, Prince Adediwura Lamola from Olaniite family, Prince Agboyin Olayiwola from Adelabu Baba Ibadan family, Prince Adebowale Adesiyan from Adesiyan family, Prince Adetunji Adesokan from Adesokan Baba Idode family, Prince Prince Adekunle Bello from Iteade Abidekun omo Atiba family, Prince Tella Agbojulogun from Agbojulogun royal family and Prince Afolabi Ademola from Adeitan royal family
While speaking on behalf of the nine families at a press conference on Monday, their spokesperson, Mogaji Afolabi Ademola Adeitan of the Adeitan/Atiba royal family, said that the decision of the commission of enquiry in 1976, which declared all the existing ruling houses be null and void, and the constituted the Atiba ruling house to include all the Atiba descendants should be honoured.
He said, “1976 commission of enquiry declare the section of Alaafin of Oyo 1961 declaration defective, this was done by justice Adekunle Ladeinde commission of enquiry, subsequently, 1993 was Oloko commission of enquiry also uphold the decision of Adekunle Ladeinde of 1976, that there should be a single ruling house in Oyo, regarding the stool of Alaafin, to be called Atiba ruling house which is to include all the descendants of Alaafin Atiba.”
“Another development, in year 2001 where the then Governor of Oyo state, Alhaji Lam Adesina presented through it secretary, Micheal Koleoso into law the white paper and decision of Oloko enquiry, with an option that Atiba local Government should make amendments which will include all other excluded royal families. You will recall that Justice Ladeinde of 1976 declared 11 royal families to be the descendants of Alaafin Atiba”
However, Mogaji Adeitan also outlined that though there was a negative upturn in 2004 but he said the other nine houses were not aware of the development.
He said“In year 2004, there was another development which is negative and was not in our knowledge, the late monarch, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi went to court with Oyo state Government to amending or removing the sections of the consenting authority of the volume 2001 gazette, this happened without our consent and we were not even put in copy, and we are not in any way part of that. Upon which the Oyo state government attorney general stated categorically have withdrawn the consenting authority which had been an issue on the volume 26 of the gazette, and Justice Moshood Abass who presided over that matter said that once that has been dismissed that as a friend of the court what does the both lawyers want him to decide upon.”
“Hence, the ministry of Justice lawyer said the Justice Abass should dismiss the case while the lawyer representing the late monarch said that all their prayers should be granted, including the cancellation in perpetuality the Atiba descendants aspect of that volume 26, we were the directed families that this matter really affected but unfortunately we were not put into copy to make any contributions. That was in 2004”
“Also in year 2020, one of us Prince Olaniite went to court on the implementation of year 2001 gazette, to his knowledge they disclaimed that there are no gazette of 2001, no white paper regarding that, to which until he started applying now that we get to know that there is a Judgment resisting the government to make any amendments.”
However, the nine families urged Governor Seyi Makinde to look into the matter and make use of the chieftaincy power embedded in the constitution
He said,
“We are appealing to the Oyo state governments to look into this matter, as where there is an injury there is always a remedy, the section 10, subsection 3 of Oyo state chieftaincy law empower the Oyo state government to make by committee by self any amendments to which clashes with any first class king to the interest of the people. Recall that out of the 11 families, only two are beneficiaries of this stool, the 9 other have been sidelined. Having appealed based on its ability to come to our rescue by discontinuing the process, so also 1979 constitution did not house the power of individual or group to challenge a chieftaincy law, so also 1999 constitution as it is amended, this empower us to appeal to Oyo government that they should allow the processing of the court of law in 2020, the other processes in the court at the moment and the one that will come up in weeks time. They should allow the judiciary to complete and conclude the matter before continuing with the process of choosing or installing new Alaafin.”
“So we seek for discontinuation of choosing Alaafin that is ongoing for the past one week, which excluded all other royal families that was recommended and approved my the commission of enquiry”
