The Oyo Mesi has debunked the claim in some quarters that the name of Prince Lukman Gbadegesin has been submitted to the Oyo State Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs as the new Alaafin of Oyo.
Some media reports had claimed that Gbadegesin’s name had been sent to the ministry for the governor’s approval as the new Alaafin.
But the Basorun of Oyo, Chief Yusuf Ayoola, who is the head of the Oyo Mesi and the regent of the town, when contacted on Tuesday, dissociated himself from the news.
He said, “They should ask those saying a name has been sent to the ministry where they got that news from. I don’t know anything about that.
“We are still working on it so I don’t know where they got the name from. We just completed the interview. We have not sent any name to Ibadan.”
The Agbaakin of Oyo, Chief Asimiyu Jimoh, also debunked the claims in a separate interview with our correspondent.
He said, “I don’t know anything about that name. What they told us at the ministry when we held a meeting with them was that anytime we want to bring the name, we should all (Oyo Mesi) bring the name in a letter sealed and all of us must bring the letter to Ibadan.
“They said the government would announce the name. But we have not done that. So I don’t know where they got that name from.”
Meanwhile, one of the contestants to the throne of the Alaafin of Oyo, Prince Adedolapo Atiba-Adediran, has described as falsehood the claims that the “nine marginalised ruling families” have agreed to present a candidate for selection in the race to occupy the vacant stool of the Alaafin.
In an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, Atiba-Adediran, who is from Atiba Adediran Ese Apata Ruling Family, described the statement credited to Adelabu as false, urging the Oyo Mesi and the people of Oyo to disregard it.
