“Unity to be real must stand the severest strain without breaking”
— Mahatma Gandhi
By Cosmas Omegoh
Former governor of Oyo State, Chief Rashidi Ladoja, is not a stranger to the courts.
Although Ladoja is not a judicial officer, it might be safe to say that he can vividly tell every bit of proceedings in the temple of justice.
When, therefore, it recently emerged that Chief Ladoja had dragged the
Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, 10 out of the recently crowned 11 members of his Olubadan-in-Council, the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and Oyo Attorney General/ Commissioner for Justice, to the Oyo High Court, not many were surprised.
Ladoja’s main grouse is that the Olubadan on Friday, July 7 at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, presented crowns to the elevated chiefs as Obas.
In the case instituted by Chief Ladoja who is the Otun and next in line of succession to the Olubadan stool, whereas the Olubadan is the 1st defendant, 10 Ibadan chiefs who were recently crowned Obas are 2nd to 11th defendants respectively; Governor Makinde is the 12th, while the state Attorney General is the 13th defendant.
To show his displeasure, Chief Ladoja, reportedly refused to show up on the day the rest of the 10 chiefs were being crowned. That was his own way of registering his grievances against what he deemed an anomaly.
When, therefore, the ex-governor approached the court, he was contending that if he was crowned Oba along side those behind him in the succession chain, he would be practically shoved aside. He would no longer be considered qualified to be made a king should the present Olubadan be out of the way.
Chief Ladoja, it would be recalled, fought a long-drawn legal battle against the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, the acclaimed “Strong man of Ibadan Politics,” who wanted him impeached as governor in 2006.
It was such a bitter fight by the former Oyo State helmsman to maintain and keep his office. But things went badly against him. The late Adedibu and the formidable forces behind him had their way. Ladoja although a sitting governor, lost out; he was impeached by a faction of the Oyo State House of Assembly. And later, he was replaced by his deputy, the late Alao Akala as governor. The rest is now history.Ladoja is not one to keep quiet when he feels aggrieved. Also recall that back in 2017, he fought the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi in court following the latter’s decision to elevate 33 chiefs in Ibadanland to the status of Obas.
This time around, Ladoja is unhappy that the Olubadan, Ọba Balogun, was allegedly scheming to change the goalpost by tinkering with the chieftaincy succession plan thereby denying him a chance to ascend to the throne when it is his turn.
Ladoja is also contending that crowning the said chiefs as Oba was akin to balkanising Ibadanland, adding that, that might cause some disharmony in the ancient kingdom.
Therefore, he is praying the court to declare: “That the act of the 1st defendant to elevate the 2nd to 11th defendants is contrary to Oyo State of Nigerian Gazette No. 03 Vol. 47 dated 11th February, 2022.
“That it is only this Honourable Court that can protect the long-aged tradition of Ibadanland from being bastardized, by restraining the defendants from carrying out this untraditional act.”
Ladoja is further vexed that Governor Makinde was at the coronation event as a guest and even presented the staff and instrument of office to the newly- crowned kings.
Then he asked to know whether “the High Chiefs who are now being elevated to status of His Royal Majesty cannot vie for the throne of Olubadan, as they are no longer Chiefs of Olubadan?”
Although, Chief Ladoja is in court, peace still beckons. The clear road now calling to be taken is for all the stakeholders to gather round a table to talk things over. There is probably no intractable matter that cannot be resolved via dialogue.
Indeed, Ibadan kingdom, its people and tradition stand out as a beacon of hope for everyone. This has been so since ages.
Ibadan had survived trying times over the years; it will come out of this one stronger.
Therefore, the need to speedily resolve the said chieftaincy impasse cannot be over-emphasised. That would be bouyed by the age-long belief that progress can only be achieved in an atmosphere of trust, peace and harmony.