A fresh twist has emerged in the controversy surrounding the stool of the Onido of Ido as the President of IBILE Club, Mr. Lanre Ogundipe, has strongly faulted a recent statement credited to the Balogun of Ibadanland, His Royal Majesty Oba (Barr.) Tajudeen Abimbola Ajibola, describing it as procedurally flawed and disrespectful to the Olubadan institution.
In a press statement dated January 9, 2026, Ogundipe said the Balogun’s public declaration that Oba Muritala Babalola is the “undisputed” Onido of Ido goes beyond the limits of his authority and attempts to pre-empt an ongoing inquiry set up by the Olubadan-in-Council
According to the IBILE Club president, while the Balogun is a senior chief within Ibadanland, he is neither the Olubadan nor vested with unilateral powers to foreclose deliberations on a sensitive traditional matter already before a duly constituted committee.
“The Balogun Olubadan is not the Olubadan of Ibadanland, nor is he vested with unilateral authority to foreclose deliberation on a matter that is already before a committee duly constituted by the Olubadan-in-Council,” Ogundipe stated, adding that any attempt to do so amounts to institutional indiscipline.
Ogundipe described it as improper and unprecedented for a subordinate chief to issue what appeared to be a definitive verdict on the Onido stool controversy from abroad while a formal investigative process is ongoing at home under the authority of the Olubadan.
He further dismissed the argument that executive actions by past and present governors, including the late Abiola Ajimobi and Governor Seyi Makinde, had conclusively settled the matter. According to him, government recognition does not extinguish legitimate traditional concerns nor silence the oversight role of the Olubadan-in-Council.
“The assertion that ‘there is no dispute’ is premature. If there were truly no issues, there would have been no need for the Olubadan to set up a committee in the first place,” the statement said.
Ogundipe stressed that the issue should not be framed as a personal contest against any monarch, including the Olubadan, His Imperial Majesty Oba Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja, but rather as a call to uphold the sanctity, hierarchy and internal discipline of the Olubadan institution.
He urged all parties to allow the Olubadan’s committee to carry out its assignment without intimidation, media trials or pre-judgment, describing such restraint as consistent with Ibadan’s age-long culture of decorum.
The statement was issued against the backdrop of an earlier release by the Balogun of Ibadanland, Oba Ajibola, who from London declared that Oba Muritala Babalola remains the legal and confirmed Onido of Ido, citing past traditional processes, absence of adverse court rulings and the recognition of his beaded crown by the Oyo State Government.
However, Ogundipe maintained that the final word on the matter rests with the Olubadan-in-Council, insisting that due process must be respected in the interest of peace, unity and the preservation of Ibadan’s traditional institutions.
