Oba Gbolagade Muritala Babalola (Gbadewolu I), the Onido of Ido in the state’s Ido Local Government Area, has been suspended by the Oyo State Government.
Governor ‘Seyi Makinde approved the suspension on Thursday, February 1, 2024, according to a letter from the government dated February 2, 2024, and signed by Hon. Olusegun Olayiwola, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Special Adviser (Media) to the Governor of Oyo State, signed a statement on Friday, although it omitted the reason for the suspension.
Quoting the letter in part, it reads, “I wish to inform you that His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Oyo State of Nigeria, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by Sub-section 1&2 of Section 26 of the Chiefs Law, Cap. 28 Vol I, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria 2000 and by virtue of all other enabling powers in that regard, has approved your suspension as the Onido of Ido in the area of authority of Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State.”
The edict mandates the monarch to give up all government properties in his possession to the local government chairman, although it does not specify the reason for the suspension or how long it would last.
The suspension announcement comes after a long-standing legal battle over the legitimate claim to the Onido of Ido title, based on ancestry and previous appointments, between Babalola and Tajudeen Agura, a deposed Baale.