The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has denied the imposition of Mogaji on Olufadejin compound, Alekuso, Ibadan, as alleged by a section of the family.
A section of the family, in a statement signed by Elder Dauda Adesina has appealed to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, to forestall any attempt by any individual or group to impose a preferred candidate as the family’s Mogaji (compound head), contrary to established customs.
The section alleged that the family has uncovered plans to install Mr. Fatai Omosanjo Amzat as the Mogaji of the Olufadejin family despite what it described as an unresolved family selection process.
The position became vacant following the death of the immediate past Mogaji, the late Seriki Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, who passed away, on Friday, April 4, 2025.
According to the statement, ‘Two members of the family, Mr. Akeem Adeojo and Mr. Fatai Omosanjo Amzat, contested for the vacant stool during a selection exercise supervised by the Mogaji Committee.
‘The family claimed that Akeem Adeojo emerged victorious in the first ballot but that the outcome was challenged by Amzat, leading to a second election which reportedly ended in a tie.
‘Rather than conduct another round of voting to break the deadlock, the family alleged that one of its elders, Lateef Busari popularly called Engineer, canvassed support for Amzat and allegedly vowed to use his personal relationship with the Olubadan to secure his emergence.’
The statement further alleged that members were surprised to discover that Amzat’s name had been allegedly included among the list of compound heads scheduled for installation by the Olubadan.
‘What happened is this: the selection of a Mogaji is an internal family affair. We had two contestants, Akeem Adeojo and Fatai Omosanjo Amzat.
‘In the first election, Akeem defeated Amzat, but he rejected the result. A second election ended in a draw.
‘Instead of conducting a third election, one of our elders insisted that Amzat should emerge and even promised to use his personal relationship with the Olubadan to influence the process.
‘To our amazement, the Olubadan later listed Fatai Omosanjo Amzat among the compound heads to be installed.
‘We expected our revered monarch to invite the contestants and family members for dialogue instead of imposing a candidate on us,’ the statement read.
The family argued that the imposition of a Mogaji runs contrary to the customs and traditions of Ibadanland, where families are expected to freely choose their compound heads before the Olubadan ratifies the selection.
It, therefore, appealed to Oba Ladoja to withdraw Amzat’s name from the proposed installation list in the interest of peace and age long custom of Ibadanland in the selection process of Mogaji.
‘We respectfully appeal to our revered monarch, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, to remove the name of Fatai Omosanjo Amzat from the list of proposed Mogajis to avoid creating a crisis within the Olufadegin.
However, the monarch, in a statement by his media aide, Adeola Oloko, explained that Mogaji in Ibadan belongs to every family.
‘But the question of screening Mogaji ultimately belongs to the Olubadan, or anyone His Imperial Majesty so designates.
‘Alekuso, the Olufadeji family compound falls within the confines of the Ibadan Southwest Traditional Council. And that was why their case was handled by the Traditional council under the acting chairmanship of Osi Olubadan, Oba Abiodun Kola-Daisi.
‘The Traditional Council set up a Committee to look into applications before it,and affirmed that two candidates contested the Mogaji Olufadeju title.
It was further submitted that the family consists of sections. In Ibadan, the section that vacates the title does not often produce successor to the title where other eligible sections of the same family contest the title.
‘It is for reason of fairness, justice, and equity that Ibadan customs and tradition are so wired. If you look at different families such as Olubadan Olakulehin, Olubadan Lekan Balogun families and many other families in Ibadan, mogaji title is not an exclusive preserve of any section. It belongs to all sections of a bonafide family.No more, no less. This is our tradition.