Akala moves against Alaafin
…Sacks him as Obas Council’s permanent chairman
From YINKA FABOWALE and AMINAT ADEBOWALE, Ibadan
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
• Akala
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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The Oyo State Government yesterday sacked the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, as the permanent chairman of the State Council of Obas and Chiefs, with an amendment of the Obas Council’s Law 2000.
Governor Adebayo Alao Akala signed an amendment bill rapidly raised and passed same day yesterday afternoon by the legislators.

At an extraordinary sitting of 18 out of the 32-man Assembly, the legislators revoked the contentious permanency clause in the year 2000 legislation, providing that the office be henceforth rotated among the Alaafin, the Soun of Ogbomosoland and the Olubadan of Ibadanland.

But, the spurious and speedy manner in which the bill was tabled and passed at just one sitting of the House which lasted barely an hour has raised suspicion of a witch-hunt against the Oyo monarch for his alleged role in the defeat of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the just concluded general elections in the state.
The lawmakers last sat on March 22, 2011 and reconvened yesterday with the amendment of the law as their sole agenda for the day.

The Alaafin, who has been in a cold war with Governor Otunba Adebayo Alao Akala over perceived hostile actions against him by the governor is credited with the victory of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the four local governments that make up his domain Atiba, Oyo East, Oyo West and Afijio, where the PDP was completely routed in the National Assembly, governorship and State House of Assembly polls.
In fact, the House Speaker, Moroof Atilola, lost his bid to return to the House on the ticket of his Oyo West-east constituency.

Oba Adeyemi is believed to have favoured and worked covertly for the success of the “broom party,” to settle scores with the Akala regime which also removed his son, Hakeem as Chairman of the Atiba Local Government last year and ostensibly “promoted” a junior chief, the Alago Oja of Oja to the position of an Oba “to rival him.”
But, the House Chief Whip and a member of the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Olalekan Ganiyu denied that the PDP dominated Assembly was on a vengeance mission.
In an interview with reporters at the end of yesterday’s session, which was watched by Oyo-born Secretary to the State Government, Chief Olayiwola Olakojo and some journalists from the public and press gallery, the lawmaker said the bill for the amendment of the law had been in the offing for a long time and needed to be addressed by the Assembly before its tenure expired.

According to the new amended bill, section 3(3) provided the “the chairmanship of the council shall be rotated among the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland and the Soun of Ogbomoso, every two years and in the order specified in Schedule II, whist the Deputy Chairmanship shall be rotated every two years among members listed in Schedule IIA and in the order specified therein.

These are: Olugbon of Orile Igbon; Eleruwa of Eruwa; Okere of Saki and the Aseyin of Iseyin.
Ganiyu had moved the motion shortly after the House began plenary session and the Majority Leader, Waheed Olaniyan announced the amendment as the major issue on the order paper.
Justifying the proposed amendment, Ganiyu traced the principle of rotation to the headship of the council of the Conference of Obas in Southwestern Nigeria in March 1937 where it was agreed that it be rotated to avoid disagreements on issue of seniority among members.

He noted, however, that the emergency of military in power changed the situation as alterations were made depending on the administration.

He remarked that the issue became contentious and resulted in litigation in which the Alaafin and some Obas fought attempted imposition of the Ooni of Ife as permanent chairman in the old Oyo State.
The rotational policy, was, however, restored by the Abdulkareem Adisa regime through the edict of Oct. 30, 1991 which saw the Alaafin and Olubadan enjoying the privilege between 1991 and 1995.
However, this was reversed by the Ike Nwosu administration in 1995, which made both Soun and Olubadan subordinate to Alaafin who was appointed permanent chairman.

“Unfortunately, Nwosu flawed arrangement was erroneously legitimized by the Lam Adesina administration with the publication of Oyo State Gazette No 27, vol. 26 of July 16, 2001. This position has been severely criticized because it has no historical justification,” Ganiyu said, saying since then government had been inundated with resurent agitations and strident clamour for the rotation of the offices, “to correct historical positions of the various communities in the state as well as giving credence to modern trends in the growth of the communities.”
Citing historical authorities, the Chief Whip declared that Ibadan and its ruler were, for instance never vassels to the Alaafin and that it would be incongruous to put him under the Oyo monarch.

Immediately after this Deputy Speaker, Hon. Jelil Adeleke, who stood for the speaker, who was absent, referred the bill to the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for deliberation and the lawmakers went on a 10-minute recess.
Hon. Tunde Jinadu representing Ibadan North II presented the committee’s report, which affirmed the position of the bill sponsored.

When they returned, then, the bill went through the second and third reading and was unanimously passed.
The passed bill, Daily Sun learnt was later ratified by Governor Alao Akala same afternoon when it was presented to him.
Defending the lawmakers’ action, Ganiyu said: “For over one decade, there have been persistent clamour for sections of the state for this amendment. We must do our job and if we fail to do it, somebody else will do it. If anybody is aggrieved, they can call for amendment if another regime comes in. “There are still other things we are planning to do.”
The Alaafin could not be reached by press time yesterday for his comments. However, his Personal Assistant, Azeez Fehintola said he would get back to Daily Sun when contacted on phone.

But Governor Akala in a terse statement by his media aide, Prince Dotun Oyelade who said that the law takes immediate effect noted that it would be “invidious and shallow for anyone to read political motive to this issue while to our mind, the time is ripe and just.”

he wasnt really sacked though.

it seems the position used to be a rotational one.

ok