The Agunloye ruling house of Oyo has raised alarm over a list of 119 candidates handed over to the Oyomesi for consideration in selecting the next Alaafin of Oyo.
The throne became vacant following the death of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi on April 22 after 52 years on the throne.
It was learnt that the Agunloye ruling house, which by law is to produce the next Alaafin, on June 9 submitted a list of 48 candidates to Baba Iyaji (head of princes) High Chief Mukaila Afonja for transmission to the Oyomesi as prescribed by custom.
Presenting the list, the head of the ruling house, Pa Samuel Adeladan, told Baba Iyaji that the 48 candidates were those that scaled through basic screening by the heads of the sub-units of the family and the selection committee.
However, Baba Iyaji was quoted in media reports on Thursday as saying he submitted a list of 119 candidates to Oyomesi.
Speaking with The Nation, Pa Adeladan condemned the addition of other candidates.
“This cannot stand. We already told Baba Iyaji that anyone that surfaces apart from our candidates is not from us, and we believe they won’t be considered. We will definitely hold an emergency meeting to review the development and determine the next step,” he said.
“I am happy that we made this known to Baba Iyaji when we submitted our list. So, I am surprised that the names have increased to 119. We have to look into the issue in our meeting because we can’t fold our arms and watch things go this way.”
