Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has presented the staff of office to the new Alaafin of Oyo, Abimbola Akeem Owoade.
The governor presented the official instrument legitimising the reign of a king to the new monarch on Monday morning at the Exco Chamber of the Governor’s Office in Ibadan, the state capital.
The symbolic event was performed nearly three years after the death of the former Alaafin, Lamidi Adeyemi III.
The presentation of the staff of office was done amid controversy concerning the choice of the new Alaafin announced by the governor last week.
Speaking at the event, the governor said the Alaafin’s stool is important not just to Oyo town but to the Yoruba race as a whole.
The governor maintained that he decided not to meddle in the appointment of the new Alaafin because of his administration’s belief in openness and transparency.