Former Oyo State governor, Rasheed Ladoja, is poised to become the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland, following the recent death of Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who reigned for less than a year.
Former Oyo State governor, Rasheed Ladoja, is poised to become the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland, following the recent death of Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who reigned for less than a year. The Olubadan throne alternates between two traditional lines — Balogun and Otun. Ladoja, the highest-ranking member of the Otun line, is next in line for the crown.
Born in 1944, Ladoja studied chemical engineering in Belgium and served as governor from 2003 to 2007. His tenure included an impeachment in 2006 that was later overturned by the courts. Ladoja also contested subsequent elections under different political parties but stepped back from politics in 2018 to focus on traditional roles.
On August 12, 2024, the late Olakulehin presented Ladoja with the beaded crown, a gesture he had once declined. The new Olubadan will now reside at the ultramodern palace at Oke-Aremo, recently inaugurated by Governor Seyi Makinde.