The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has urged campaigners for the proposed New Oyo State to build internal consensus, warning that unresolved disagreements over the state’s name and capital could stall their agitation.
The monarch gave the advice on Thursday while hosting members of the Committee on the Creation of Ibadan and New Oyo State, led by Francis Adedayo and Saheed Malik, at his Oke-Aremo Palace in Ibadan.
Oba Ladoja, who had publicly appealed to President Bola Tinubu on September 26, 2025, for the creation of an Ibadan State after receiving his Staff and Instrument of Office, restated that the demand from his people remains a priority.
“My people sent me a message to Mr President. They said the creation of Ibadan State is their priority,” he said.
However, in a statement issued by his media aide, Adeola Oloko, the Olubadan cautioned that while the agitation for an Ibadan State seems straightforward, divisions among stakeholders pushing for the New Oyo State could hamper progress.
“There are many interests already emerging. Iseyin wants to be a state capital. Agunrege is interested. Oyo is interested. Ogbomoso is silent. All these towns, including virgin lands, qualify to be state capitals,” he noted.
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“If truth be told, you need to build consensus. You need compromise. Oke-Ogun has 10 local governments, Ogbomoso has four. How much representation of Oke-Ogun and Ogbomoso do we have here? You cannot wish them away.”
Speaking at the meeting, Ojelabi Morakinyo from Ibarapa reaffirmed the long-standing relationship between Ibarapa and Ibadan, stating that there were no disagreements regarding the proposed Ibadan State.
The session was attended by senior traditional and community leaders, including the Osi Olubadan, Oba Abiodun Kola-Daisi, and the President-General of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, Sulaiman Ajewole.