Rashidi Ladoja, the Otun-Olubadan of Ibadanland, on Wednesday, in Ibadan, said he was not interested in wearing any other crown except the Olubadan crown.

Mr Ladoja told newsmen at his residence after the Eid prayers that it has always been his target to become an Olubadan and was not going to wear any other crown

There had been widespread speculation that the Ibadan high chiefs would be installed as beaded crown-wearing kings from July 7.

Some high chiefs, who were crowned during the administration of the late Abiola Ajimobi, had surrendered the crowns after an out-of-court settlement.

This paved way for Oba Lekan Balogun’s ascension to the Olubadan throne.

However, Mr Ladoja said information at his disposal revealed that the high chiefs were now seeking permission to resume wearing of their surrendered crowns.

Mr Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo State, said it was illegal for any Ibadan high chief to think he could resume wearing an already-surrendered beaded crown.

He said there would not have been a new Olubadan of Ibadan by now if the high chiefs had failed to surrender their crowns and withdraw the case in court.

“I joined the Olubadan line on Oct. 1, 1993. I joined as ‘Jagun Olubadan’ and my target was to become Olubadan. I did not expect that I was going to wear any beaded crown on the way.

“If I wanted to do that, I would have become the ‘Baale’ of my village and I will be called ‘Baale’. Our role as high chiefs is to advise and support the Olubadan, not to wear crown with him,” Mr Ladoja said.

The former governor said he, as an individual, was not interested in any other crown apart from that of Olubadan of Ibadanland, adding, “only God chooses kings in Ibadan”.

Mr Ladoja expressed dismay at the fact that some high chiefs want to short-circuit the system, saying such was alien to the Ibadan tradition.

He said that it was not fair or right to have high chiefs as kings, adding there was no need to mend what was not broken.

“I told them the story of Aliiwo. When Aliiwo was coming from Iwo, he passed through Lagun village, where he left his followers to stay with other warriors in Ibadan.

“If he had wanted to become Onilagun of Lagun, he would have done so. But people who started Ibadan said that they wanted to rule themselves. They want to rule the villages from the town,” the Otun-Olubadan said.

The former governor added that he would, however, not go to court on the matter, saying there was no issue in the agitation of the high chiefs.

Mr Ladoja said that any Ibadan indigene could go to court over such issues since every bonafide Ibadan man is a potential king.

(NAN)