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The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji on Monday received in his palace, all the 21 beaded crown kings elevated by the immediate past governor of Oyo State, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi.
The monarch, who was marking his 91st birthday was hosting members of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes(CCII), led by its president, Chief Yemi Soladoye when the ‘obas’ arrived.
The 21 ‘kings’ who were controversially crowned at a mass coronation on August 27, 2017, were led by the Otun Olubadan, High Chief Lekan Balogun.
Newspeakonline recalls the High Chiefs turned kings had distanced themselves from palace activities for about two years recently when Balogun, alongside four others, reportedly embraced reconciliation.
At about 1:15pm on Monday, Balogun led his colleagues including Baales and
amid fanfare, they all prostrated to the monarch one after the other as he welcomed them with open arms.
The elevation and coronation of the High chiefs to beaded crown wearing kings generated a lot of controversy and polarised the Olubadan-In-Council as the monarch opposed the reform carried out by the state government.
The Olubadan and one of the High Chiefs, the Osi Olubadan, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, who is also a former governor of the state dissociated themselves from the elevation and instituted a court action.
Ladoja won the case in a judgment delivered by Justice Olajumoke Aiki of the Oyo State High Court, who described all the processes that led to the installation of new kings as illegal, null, void and of no effect.
Ajimobi, however, appealed the judgment until his successor, Governor Seyi Makinde, recently began an out-of-court settlement for reconciliation.