Olubadan Crisis: Only Ladoja can summon a meeting to nominate new king – Chief Lana
Former attorney-general and commissioner for justice in Oyo State, Chief Michael Lana, has said that only the Otun Olubadan, High Chief Rashidi Ladoja can summon a meeting of the Olubadan Advisory Council to nominate a new candidate for the Olubadan stool.
Westernpost reported how the elevated high chiefs shunned a meeting called by Otun Olubadan, Chief Rashidi Ladoja last Tuesday and held a separate meeting from which Ladoja was excluded.
Chief Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo State is opposed to the chieftaincy review conducted by the administration of late former governor Abiola Ajimobi who elevated the Ibadan high chiefs to Oba (kings) and is currently challenging the process in court.
Adding his voice to the controversy trailing the nomination of the new Olubadan during an exclusive chat with Oyoinsight, Chief Lana, who is a lawyer and had represented Ladoja in court cases, warned that the actions of the elevated kings could backfire if Chief Ladoja takes legal action.
Chief Lana said, “Under the Olubadan Declaration, only high chiefs and not Obas can nominate an Olubadan. If they toe this line of argument that a non-Oba could not chair the meeting of the ones, then their meeting is null and void and any nomination made by them as Obas is invalid.
“In law, we view the capacity in which a thing is to be done. A person usually has multiple capacities with each capacity controlled by different laws. In this case, the High Chiefs qua high chiefs have a role different from the high chiefs qua Obas. The elevated Obas are in dual capacity; one as Oba and the other as High Chief. As Obas, they cannot nominate a person for the stool of Olubadan; they can only do so as High Chiefs. In the latter capacity, their most senior chief is Chief Ladoja who is also the only person that can validly call a meeting for the purpose of nominating the candidate for the Olubadan stool. I think the elevated Obas should note this difference in their capacities.
“This is part of the problem I knew would happen ab initio. Let me break it down: In the process of nomination of a candidate to fill a chieftaincy, the first document you look at is the Chieftaincy Declaration pertaining to that Chieftaincy.
“In elevating the chiefs to Obas, their Chieftaincy Declarations were not amended. Under the defunct White Paper of Ajimobi, it was stated that the Obas would be chiefs under the Olubadan.
“Under the Declaration, the following are the Kingmakers: a) Otun Olubadan, b) Osi Olubadan, c) Ashipa Olubadan, d) Ekerin Olubadan, e) Iyalode f) The Balogun, g) Otun Balogun h) Osi Balogun, I)Ashipa Balogun, j) Ekerin Balogun and Seriki(which is no more)
“To nominate a candidate, the most senior Chief in the line that is NOT producing the candidate shall summon a meeting where the chiefs in the line that will produce the candidate shall do the nomination.
“Note that it doesn’t talk of an Oba in the lines but a chief. Secondly, Ladoja is the most senior in the line that is NOT producing the candidate and the only person that MUST summon the meeting,” Chief Lana stressed.
