BREAKING: Ibadan Mogajis Reject Alleged Makinde, Adekanmbi Endorsement

The position was reached at a meeting attended by about 200 Mogajis and presided over by the President of the Association, Mogaji Asimiyu Adepoju Ariori.

The meeting followed the circulation of a viral video in which some individuals identified as Mogajis were allegedly seen declaring support for the Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

However, speaking exclusively with Goalpoachernews after the meeting, the leadership of the association described the purported endorsement as unauthorised and stressed that it did not represent the collective position of Mogajis in Ibadanland.

Mogaji Ariori said the association had not authorised any individual or group to endorse a political candidate on its behalf.

“We are all under the Olubadan. Wherever the Olubadan goes is where the Mogajis will go. We have made our position clear, and nobody should use the name of the association to make any false announcement.”

He acknowledged that individual Mogajis, like other citizens, were free to have personal political preferences, but insisted that such preferences must not be presented as the official position of the association.

“A Mogaji can have his personal choice politically, but he cannot come out and say he is speaking for the entire association when the association has not taken such a decision.”

The association also warned members against actions capable of undermining the established traditional structure or creating division within Ibadanland.

According to the leadership, members are expected to respect the traditional hierarchy and institutions recognised in Ibadanland, including the authority of the Olubadan of Ibadanland and other recognised traditional structures.

It further stated that appropriate measures could be taken against any conduct capable of undermining the institution, creating unnecessary division or disturbing the peace of Ibadanland.

The Mogajis stressed that any disciplinary action would be undertaken in accordance with applicable chieftaincy laws and established procedures.

The latest position reinforces an earlier joint statement signed by Mogaji Asimiyu Ariori, President of the Ibadan Mogajis, and Mogaji Dr. Nurudeen Akinade, Coordinator of the Ibadan Compound Peace Initiative (ICPI), in which the purported political endorsement was also described as unauthorised.

The leaders said the Association of Mogajis in Ibadanland, which they stated has more than 400 members under Ariori’s leadership, was not consulted before the purported declaration.

They described the development as a “schematic drama and theatre”, insisting that those behind the declaration lacked the authority to speak on behalf of the wider traditional institution of Ibadanland.

They further stated that the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Olubadan-in-Council, Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), Baales and other relevant traditional structures were neither consulted nor informed about the purported endorsement.

“We are subject to the Olubadan, and that is the structure we recognise. Anybody making a political declaration in the name of the association without the authority of the association is acting on his own.”

The leadership consequently urged members of the public to disregard any political statement presented as the official position of the Association of Mogajis in Ibadanland unless such a statement has been duly authorised.

It also cautioned politicians, individuals and groups against dragging the traditional institution into unauthorised political endorsements, warning that such actions could create confusion and division within Ibadanland.

The Mogajis called on all stakeholders to protect the peace, unity, dignity and traditional values of Ibadanland as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.