The expected seamless succession arrangement of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, following the death of Oba Lekan Balogun, may be marred in crisis as the next Olubadan in line, Owolabi Olakulehin, is yet to show up in any public function, utter any statement or interact with any member of the Oba Advisory Council or government officials.
Unlike Ibadan, two weeks after Oba Balogun passed on, all the necessary stakeholders, including the state government, have remained silent about the whereabouts of Oba Olakulehin. While some people were speculating that he is terribly indisposed and might not be physically and psychologically fit to ascend the throne, others are still of the opinion that he is hibernating and will come out in full force and power, while some quarters rumoured that he had been flown out of the country for medical treatment.
However, if for whatever reasons Olakulehin is not crowned as Olubadan of Ibadanland, the implication will be that the former governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja, who is the Otun Olubadan and the next in line to Olakulehin, will not be crowned as the next Olubadan. Instead, Tajudeen Ajibola, the Otun Balogun from the lineage of Olakulehin will step in as the 43rd Olubadan.
The politics of the enthronement is already playing out among the concerned stakeholders as nine out of the 11 members of the Oba Advisory Council met on Monday at the Olubadan Palace in Mapo to finalise arrangements but unfortunately, Ladoja was absent at the meeting.
However, Ladoja himself summoned another meeting of the Oba Advisory Council, yesterday, scheduled to hold between 11:00 am and 1:00 p.m. but none of the members attended.
As at the time journalists got to the Olubadan’s Palace at Mapo, the palace attendants confirmed that Ladoja was present and waited for other traditional rulers who didn’t show up until he (Ladoja) left after a long wait.
AjibadeSalauden, who spoke with the media yesterday, said that they had been waiting for the next Olubadan, which is expected to come from the Balogun line in the person of Oba Olakulehin.
He said there was nothing spectacular about Monday’s meeting other than for them to know the next step. He said that though they have visited the residence of Oba Olakulehin, his son, Sunbo Owolabi, a former Commissioner in Oyo, told them that his father was not around.
He said that the Oba-In-Council would wait until Oba Olakulehin is around otherwise, “we will decide and give our recommendation to Governor SeyiMakinde, who as a governor has the power to pick anybody that he wants.”
