By Tonia Okereke
The Oyo State House of Assembly has bowed to pressure choosing to drop the amendment of the Chieftaincy Law, making the Alaafin of Oyo the permanent chairman of the Council of Obas and Chiefs.
On Tuesday, the House adopted the recommendation of its Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, part of which is that the chairmanship position should be rotated among the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadan land, and the Soun of Ogbomoso land.
The bill for the amendment of the law was passed after a third reading at the plenary on Tuesday.
Also, the lawmakers approved the appointment of the 13 chairmen of the council, including the Otun and Osi Olubadan of Ibadanland.
However, the resolution of the House was rejected by the lawmakers from Oyo East and Atiba Constituencies, Hon. Olorunpoto Rahman and Hon. Gbenga Oyekola, respectively.
The aggrieved lawmakers staged a walkout while the House was deliberating on the recommendation of the committee.
Hon. Rahman, in a sideline interview with newsmen, said, “We should be guided by the truth on whatever law that we make. Everyone knows the position of Alaafin. We are not out of touch with history.
“Alaafin is a paramount ruler. We should not make laws for political convenience. We should make a law that can stand the test of time. We should make a law that will align with history.
“We are not satisfied with the process that the committee walked through. There was neither a public hearing nor a stakeholders’ engagement. There is no instance where they invited anyone from Oyo to come and speak on this bill. I have serious issues with that.”
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