Alaafin, Olubadan supremacy rift deepens

The rift between two foremost monarchs in Oyo State, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, may have deepened.

Indication of the rift emerged yesterday when the Olubadan ignored the Alaafin, as the latter attempted to greet and welcome the former to the 2026 Inter-faith service held for civil servants at the state secretariat in Ibadan.

The Olubadan had arrived shortly after the governor got to the venue and went ahead to exchange pleasantries with the governor, after which he went to other monarchs at the event, who all stood up to welcome and acknowledge him.

However, tension rose when the Olubadan ignored the outstretched hand of the Alaafin, but proceeded with exchanging pleasantries with others, before going to take his seat, leaving the Alaafin visibly stranded.

The dramatic snub caused murmurs among the audience and has since ignited widespread outrage across the state and beyond.

Public divided about incident

While some observers see it as disrespectful for the Alaafin to be seated and extending his hand to greet ‘elderly’ Olubadan, others are of the views that the stool of Alaafin is more supreme to that of the Olubadan and that the current Olubadan must respect the stool, irrespective of the age of the current occupant.

While there were previous reports of supremacy tussle between the two monarchs, the public display of the acrimony was first noticed on December 15, 2025 during the unveiling of the Oyo@50 logo, organised by the state government at the same venue.

On that day, the Alaafin was represented by one of his chiefs. However, upon arrival of the Olubadan to the event, a little argument ensued, as he was ushered to sit on his reserved seat, beside the Alaafin.

The Olubadan expressed his displeasure at what he called disregard for his person and stool, noting that he would not sit beside the representative of the Alaafin on a seat which was placed before his own, despite not being physically present.

The matter, which generated a lot of tension, saw some top government functionaries and politicians made efforts to pacify the Olubadan.

By the time the dust would settle, the Olubadan’s chair was not only changed as requested, he was also relocated to a place before the seat of the Alaafin.

The situation has made observers question the propriety of the initial effort of Governor Makinde at facilitating peace and harmony between the monarchs and which had extended to their supporters and loyalists.