Ladoja: From Active Politicking to Royal Stool of Ibadanland

Kemi Olaitan chronicles the controversies and eventual triumph of a former Senator and former governor of Oyo State, RasidiAdewoluLadoja as he wears the crown as 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland on Friday.

As a former governor of Oyo State and former Senator representing Oyo South Senatorial district during the short-lived third republic, Oba RasidiLadoja, will on Friday, September 26, 2025 make history in Ibadan, the state capital, when he will be crowned the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland, fulfilling what he has often described as his lifelong desire.

A man of many parts, the coronation of the politician, businessman and statesman which is expected to be attended by prominent Nigerians within and outside the country to be led by President Bola Tinubu, will mark the culmination of a traditional journey that has spanned over three decades.

The stool of Olubadan which is the supreme leadership position in Ibadan is founded in the 19th century  and characterized by a unique merit-based rotational succession system rather than hereditary rule, which alternates between the civil (Otun) and military (Balogun) chieftaincy lines.

This system ensures experienced, seasoned leaders from any social class ascend through the chieftaincy ladder to the Olubadan title, symbolizing Ibadan’s cultural unity, continuity, and rich traditions as the paramount ruler.

What is important however is that when an Olubadan dies, a vacancy is filled by the most senior chief from the next line in the rotational order and by tradition Ladoja being the most senior chief in the Otun line is naturally expected to succeed the late Olubadan, Oba OwolabiAkinloyeOlakulehin, who died on July 7, 2025 at age 90.

Thus after the statutory 21-day mourning of the departed Olubadan, the Olubadan-in-Council (the Kingmakers) sat at the Olubadan Palace, and without much ado on August 4, nominated the former governor as the Olubadan-designate for appointment by Governor SeyiMakinde.

Ladoja who can be described as a proverbial cat with nine lives considering the trajectory of his political and traditional experiences has weathered many storms in his journey of life. On the traditional space, the first controversy he faced reared its head during the administration of late Governor AbiolaAjimobi who elevated members of the Olubadan-in-Council to monarchs with crown an action which was kicked against by the then Olubadan, Oba SaliuAdetunji and the Olubadan-designate who was then as OsiOlubadan of Ibadanland who took the late governor to court.

However, the controversy was to continue under the administration of the incumbent Governor SeyiMakinde, who despite serving as trouble-shooter during the imbroglio with Ajimobi reinvented the same law and re-crowned the monarchs. Ladoja, now a lone voice with the death of Oba Adetunji, stood away again.

While speaking on the controversy, the former governor said, “I only want to adorn one crown and that is the Olubadan crown. My journey on the Olubadan line is not about politics. It is a matter of tradition, identity, and service.”

Ladoja maintained that the chieftaincy system of the ancient city must not be politicised or commercialised. “Ibadan does not need multiple kings,” he noted, insisting that the hierarchical order that allows a Mogaji to one day become Olubadan is one of the city’s most democratic and egalitarian legacies.

Makinde was to re-crown the monarchs on July 7, 2023, claiming that the then Olubadan-in-Council headed by Oba LekanBalogun had recommended the crowning and that his only duty was to present them with certificates as the governor.

The state government at the coronation of the late 43rd Olubadan, Oba OwolabiOlakulehin on July 12, 2024, was to publish a gazette of the new law, mandating it for all Ibadan High Chiefs to accept Obaship before their eventual promotion.

Indeed, Section 4 of the amendment, titled “New Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration,” replaced “the most Senior (High) Chief in that Line” with “the most Senior Beaded Crown Oba in that Line.”

But sensing the danger ahead, Ibadan elders rose to the occasion by meeting with Ladoja and prevailed on him to take the beaded crown. Oba Ladoja while announcing his readiness to accept the beaded crown at a radio programme in Ibadan in August 2024, said various Ibadan indigenes and non-indigenes had pressured him to accept the beaded crown to facilitate his ascension to the throne when the time comes.

He said, “By the grace of God, I will become Olubadan. God has been merciful to me. My blood pressure has been stable. Anyone God destined to become Olubadan will become Olubadan. No matter the obstacles placed in their way. I’m ready to accept Ibadan’s ceremonial beaded crown if it’s the wish of God and the good people of Ibadanland. Only God knows who becomes Olubadan. I know by the special grace of God, I will become Olubadan.”

The late Oba Olakulehin on August 12, 2024, in his first official duty after his coronation, crowned Senator Ladoja as an Ibadan Oba thus paving the way for him to be nominated as the next Olubadan of Ibadanland.

On the political landscape, Ladoja was elected to the Nigerian Senate in 1993 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) during the short-lived third republic. However in the present political dispensation, he was elected governor of Oyo State in April 2003 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), defeating incumbent Governor Lam Adesina and took office on May 29, 2003, with the backing of a PDP power broker in the state and an Ibadan High Chief, AlhajiLamidiAdedibu.

However by August 2004, Ladoja and the strongman of Ibadan politics were locked in a fierce struggle over the political control of Oyo State and on January 12, 2006, Ladoja was impeached by the state House of Assembly and forced out of office.

His deputy, Adebayo Alao-Akala (now late), was sworn in as the new governor. But on November 1, 2006, the Appeal Court in Ibadan declared the impeachment null and illegal, and the Supreme Court upheld the decision on December 11, 2006.

With his reinstatement, Ladoja officially resumed office on December 12, 2006. but however, failed to win the PDP nomination for a second term and backed the candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party in the 2007 election, Senator AbiolaAjimobi, who eventually lost to Alao-Akala.

After the 2007 election, his attempts to return to the Agodi Government House, Ibadan were unsuccessful as he was the governorship candidate for Accord party in the 2011 and 2015 elections. In 2017, Oba Ladoja merged Accord into the PDP and later moved to the new coalition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in 2018 and again left for the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in December 2018.

Immediately after the Presidential and National Assembly elections in 2019, Ladoja led the coalition that collapsed the structure of SharafadeenAlli, and Femi Lanlehin, among others, for eventual winner, Governor SeyiMakinde of the PDP who is presently serving his second term.

Although Ladoja who is ascending the throne of his forefathers is expected to be apolitical, political observers however believe the former governor and former Senator representing Oyo South Senatorial district in the aborted third republic would still command a great influence in the political firmament of the state given his past roles in shaping the political direction of the state.

Governor Makinde speaking at the 80th birthday celebration of Ladoja last year,  could not but acknowledged him as a political leader in the state.

His words, “My political trajectory cannot be complete without mentioning his name. Daddy was the one who midwifed the process that led to my emergence as governor in 2019. He played critical roles. Today is a special day for one of the leading lights in Ibadanland. So, we thank God. A lot of people may not know this, but I feel that whenever I have the opportunity, I will say it openly. You still have a lot of roles to play, Sir. So, we will continue to look forward to your leadership.”

Indeed, what is not in doubt is that Ibadanland is expected to enjoy greater prominence and development in all spheres of life as the former governor now monarch combines his political and cultural acumen to bear on the traditional administration of the city by bringing innovations into royal governance.

This could be evidenced in his first public pre-coronation statement, where he charged his lieutenants (Baales and Mogajis) to prioritize attention to security in their domain as he is ready to attract investors to the ancient city and other parts of the state, warning that he would not allow any form of security breaches that could discourage investors.

According to him: “You’ll be held responsible for security breaches. You are the Chief Security Officers in your domains, and as such, you will be held responsible for any security lapse in your areas. You should have the knowledge of the happenings in your environment, and if you have any security challenge beyond your control, contact us; we will rise to the occasion and assist you immediately.

“A Mogaji or Chief in Ibadan is not just a title but a responsibility. We are looking at a situation where Mogajis and chiefs would not abandon their ancestral homes. By doing so, you can positively impact the younger generation seeking mentorship. You lived in this same society and became what God wanted you to be. Please, let us encourage the people at the grassroots by staying with them and sharing with them.”

However time would tell how Ladoja will prove his mettle as a first class monarch presiding over the largest city South of the Sahara as the expectations of him by the people of the city are enormous.

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