Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has presented the Staff of Office to the new Alaafin of Oyo, Prince Abimbola Owoade.
This comes days after Makinde announced Prince Owoade as the new Alaafin to succeed the late Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, who died on April 22, 2022.
The presentation of staff of office took place on Monday despite opposition from five of the Oyo kingmakers, known as Oyomesi.
In a letter addressed to the governor, the kingmakers had described the appointment of Prince Owoade as illegal, arguing that they did not recommend him.
The kingmakers named Prince Luqman Gbadegesin as their choice of Alaafin, according to a letter jointly signed by their legal representative, Adekunle Sobaloju (SAN), High Chief Yusuf Akínade, Bashorun of Oyo; High Chief Wakeel Akindele, Lagunna of Oyo; High Chief Hamzat Yusuf, Akinniku of Oyo; Chief Wahab Oyetunji, warrant chief stand-in for Asipa of Oyo, and Chief Gbadebo Mufutau, warrant chief stand-in for Alapinní of Oyo
However, following Makinde’s announcement of Prince Owoade as the Alaafin-designate, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said that the appointment of the prince followed a recommendation done through thorough consultations and divinations.
The new Alaafin of Oyo hails from the royal Owoade-Agunloye family of Oyo, one of the surviving children of Pa Rasaki Ibiyosi Owoade.
The monarch attended Baptist High School, Saki, Ibadan, Oyo State. He obtained a National Diploma from The Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, and a Higher National Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from The Polytechnic, Ibadan. He later bagged a BSc Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sunderland and a MSc Mechanical Engineering at Northumbria University.
He served as a Planning Engineer at Oil Reach Company in Glasgow, UK. He is currently a Project Coordinator at Manitoba Hydro, Canada.