Ibadan – High Chief Rasheed Ladoja has said that Dr Lekan Balogun is the next in line to the throne of Olubadan.
Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo State and current Osi Olubadan broke his silence on the raging controversy over the appointment of a new Olubadan on Thursday in Ibadan.
He, however , advised Balogun and other high chiefs to withdraw the two suits they instituted against the throne to pave a way for his formal ascension to the throne.
“There is no controversy about it. Egbon Lekan Balogun is the most senior in our line and so he is the next in line to the throne.
“For those asking, my ‘body and mouth language’ is that Egbon Lekan is my senior and he is next in line to the Olubadan stool.
“I do not have the powers to make anybody Olubadan. In 2017, we instituted a case to challenge the needless reform that Abiola Ajimobi as governor wanted to do.
” Almost all of us as High Chiefs and members of the Olubadan-in-Council agreed to the filing of a suit to challenge him and we gave the task to Michael Lana.
“Lana later called me to say some of the High Chiefs told him to remove their names from the suit, leaving only my Egbon Balogun and myself.
“Two weeks after we started the case, Egbon Balogun said he was no longer interested in the case. I asked Lana if I could do it alone and he told me ‘yes’ and we continued.
“We won the case at the state High Court and Ajimobi appealed.
“In a judgment, the Appeal Court, a few days to the exit of Ajimobi from government, sent the case back to the High Court for retrial.
“They, Judges of the Appellate Court, said the case was brought under writ of summons instead of originating summons.
“By the time, there had been a new government headed by Seyi Makinde who said he did not want the distraction of the suit and called for out-of court settlement which we agreed to and did.
“After the terms of settlement were agreed to, the court gave a consent judgment based on the terms.
“But they said they were not happy and instituted two fresh cases which are still in court till today.
“So, I need people to understand that I am not causing any trouble.
“The cases that are in court today in respect of the Obaship tussle were instituted by Egbon Balogun and his colleagues who are still calling themselves Obas.
“It is they that the people should talk to. Let them go and withdraw the cases they instituted.
“I don’t like the unwarranted tension this matter is generating,” Ladoja explained.
It would be recalled that Lana, a former attorney-general of Oyo State has written Governor Seyi Makinde not to okay approval of Balogun as the new Olubadan pending the resolution of two cases filed by Balogun and other high chiefs on the matter.
Balogun and 23 high chiefs ran into trouble when they presented themselves to be crowned as Obas by the APC administration of Abiola Ajimobi.
The action pitted the late Olubadan Saliu Adetunji and the indigenes of Ibadan against Ajimobi and the rebellious high chiefs .
This crisis was largely responsible for the defeat of the APC and their candidates in the 2019 general elections.
Ajimobi himself was thoroughly humiliated at the polls as he woefully lost his senatorial election right from his ward level.
This is the first time that the succession to the throne of Olubadan will be enmeshed in controversy and the indigenes of Ibadan will openly come out against a would be Olubadan. (vitalnews)
