The Aafin of Ogbomosoland has shed more light on the controversy surrounding the status of the Balogun of Ogbomosoland, Dr. Saka Adegbite Balogun, clarifying that the high chief was suspended and not removed from office as is widely being misconstrued.

The clarification followed a strongly worded press release by the Oyo State Government, signed by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon. Ademola Ojo. The state government had asserted that a traditional ruler lacks the constitutional and legal powers to remove a chief of the calibre of the Balogun of Ogbomoso, who holds a Part II Chieftaincy title.

In its official statement, the state government noted that its attention had been drawn to media reports concerning the purported removal of Dr. Balogun by His Imperial Majesty, Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, the Soun of Ogbomoso. The administration emphasized that in accordance with the Chiefs Law of Oyo State, only the state governor possesses the executive prerogative of removal.

Citing the statutory provisions, the government stated that by virtue of CAP 28, Section 26 (1) of the Chiefs Law of Oyo State (2000), the power to appoint, suspend, and depose a Part II Recognized Chieftaincy holder is vested exclusively in the Executive Governor. Consequently, the state declared the purported removal an aberration that is unknown to the existing laws guiding Traditional Council operations.

Reaffirming the chief`s official standing from the state`s perspective, the Commissioner enjoined members of the public to completely disregard any reports of his deposition. The government statement maintained that Dr. Saka Adegbite Balogun remains the duly recognized and lawful Balogun of Ogbomoso land.

However, in a swift counter-press release issued by the Ogbomoso Palace, authorities strongly corrected the narrative, stating that the Soun did not depose the high chief but placed him on suspension. The palace clarified that the disciplinary action was necessitated by Dr. Balogun’s outright refusal to sign the mandatory Oath of Allegiance, a document already signed by all other high chiefs.

According to the palace administration, the Soun patiently waited for ten straight months for the Balogun to execute the oath, but he consistently refused. Rather than complying, the chief was accused of casting aspersions on the Soun and the throne, while allegedly hurling derogatory and insulting remarks against the monarch in public, private, and media spaces.

The palace affirmed that snubbing the Oath of Allegiance, coupled with continuous anti-palace activities, amounts to clear disloyalty that cannot be tolerated. Emphasizing that recent disparaging comments finally triggered the suspension, the palace maintained that the Soun carries the weight of history and represents the entire Ogbomosoland, stressing that no individual is bigger than the ancient domain