Oba Rashidi Ladoja (l) and Senator Sharafadeen Alli (r) at a function
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, on Friday confirmed that Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli and two other newly elevated Ibadan High Chiefs slated for coronation as beaded-crown-wearing kings would not participate in the ceremony, citing their formal request for postponement.
The monarch, in a statement issued by his media aide, Adeola Oloko, disclosed that the affected chiefs — High Chief Akeem Bolaji Adewoyin (Ekerin Olubadan) and High Chief Kola Babalola (Ekaarun Olubadan) — had officially notified the palace of their unavailability for the coronation scheduled for Friday at Mapo Hall, Ibadan.
According to the statement, the development has been duly communicated to the Oyo State Government through the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
The planned coronation followed a directive from the state government, conveyed in a memo signed by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Ademola Ojo, which fixed April 3, 2026, for the elevation of the chiefs to beaded-crown-wearing obas.
The memo, titled: ‘Re-Request for the List of High Chiefs Who are Due for Elevation to Wear Beaded Crowns in Ibadan,’ stressed the urgency of the exercise, noting that immediate conferment of beaded crowns on newly elevated members of the Olubadan-in-Council was “
traditionally necessary to prevent insinuations of political delay and to safeguard the integrity of the Ibadan traditional institution.
It stated in part that the move was aimed at ‘protecting the Ibadan traditional institution,’ and ensuring that the process was not misconstrued as politically motivated.
However, the palace moved swiftly to dispel speculation of a rift between Oba Ladoja and Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over the controversial coronation.
“His Imperial Majesty’s attention has been drawn to trending reports suggesting a rift between Kabiyesi and the governor. We wish to state unequivocally that there is no such disagreement,” the statement said.
The palace also refuted claims that the Olubadan deliberately absented himself from Ibadan to avoid the ceremony, insisting that the monarch remained in the city and was in good health.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Kabiyesi is hale and hearty in Ibadan and continues to perform his duties as Olubadan,” the statement added.
The absence of the three High Chiefs has, however, cast uncertainty over the coronation exercise, which has attracted heightened public interest amid reports linking Senator Alli — the Ekarun Balogun of Ibadanland and a gubernatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, to alleged political endorsements ahead of the 2027 elections.
Despite the swirling political undertones, the palace maintained that the postponement request by the affected chiefs remains the sole reason for their absence.