Two prominent Oyo-based civil society organisations, the Oyo Scholars Congress (OSC) and the Oyo Global Forum (OGF), have rejected the recently inaugurated Oyo State Council of Obas, describing its rotational chairmanship as a distortion of history and a threat to Yoruba cultural order.

In a joint statement made available to our correspondent on Thursday, the groups expressed strong opposition to the council’s structure, which places the Alaafin of Oyo on the same footing as other traditional rulers. They said the arrangement, approved by the Oyo State Government under Governor Seyi Makinde, undermines the historically established authority of the Alaafin as the apex traditional ruler in Oyo land.

The organisations argued that Oyo is not merely a modern administrative entity but a civilisation with deep historical roots whose influence extends across the Yoruba world and the African diaspora. According to them, the Alaafin’s throne occupies a singular position in Yoruba history and kingship, and should not be subjected to rotational or parity-based arrangements.

OSC and OGF described the policy as a “serious misreading of Yoruba political tradition,” stressing that the Alaafin is not “first among equals” but a uniquely established symbol of unity, authority, and cultural continuity. They warned that reducing the throne to administrative symmetry risks eroding a long-settled civilisational order.

The groups also raised concern over the absence of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, from the inauguration of the council. They said the absence reflected a deeper rupture in the moral and symbolic foundations of Yoruba kingship, where authority is traditionally rooted in lineage, memory, and sacred continuity.

Commending the Alaafin for what they described as his “clarity, restraint, and dignity,” OSC and OGF praised Oba Owoade for publicly distancing himself from claims that he endorsed the new arrangement. They said his response reaffirmed the moral authority of the throne and upheld its historical integrity.

The groups unequivocally reaffirmed the Alaafin of Oyo as the historically settled and pre-eminent traditional authority in Oyo State, calling on the state government to reverse any policy or administrative practice that presents the Alaafin’s stool as equivalent to other traditional thrones.

While acknowledging the constitutional powers of the government and the legislative role of the Oyo State House of Assembly, OSC and OGF warned that reforms detached from history amount to cultural erasure rather than progress. They stressed that tradition remains a key source of legitimacy in governance and should not be sacrificed for administrative convenience.

The organisations called on Governor Makinde and the state government to urgently correct what they termed a “historical anomaly” by explicitly reaffirming the Alaafin of Oyo as the apex cultural and traditional authority in the state. They said such action is necessary to preserve Yoruba identity, protect cultural institutions, and safeguard the civilisational legacy of Oyo for future generations.

The statement was signed by Professor Seun Kolade, Convenor of the Oyo Scholars Congress, and Mr. Taiwo Hassan Adebayo, Chairman of the Oyo Global Forum.