The Palace of the Alagooja of Ago-Oja has dismissed reports claiming that a court has dethroned His Royal Majesty, Oba Abdulganiyu Ajiboye Busari Arogundade II, describing the reports as false and urging members of the public to disregard them.
In a disclaimer issued on behalf of the monarch, the palace said there had been no such development and that no court order removing Oba Busari from the throne had been communicated through any verifiable legal or official channel.
The denial comes against the backdrop of a long-running traditional and legal dispute over the Ago-Oja stool, which has its roots in the contentious relationship between the Ago-Oja traditional institution and the Alaafin of Oyo.
The controversy dates back years to the administration of former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, who had installed Ganiyu Ajiboye as Alago-Oja in 2006. The late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, challenged the move in court.
In a 2007 judgment, an Oyo State High Court held that the creation, appointment and installation of the Baale of Ago-Oja was illegal, unconstitutional, null and void, while the Court of Appeal subsequently upheld the position in 2008. The legal battle later generated contempt proceedings over the continued recognition of Ajiboye.
The dispute, however, did not end with those earlier judgments. Reporting in 2025 indicated that the matter remained tied to the broader struggle over the traditional administration of parts of Oyo town, with Chief Ganiyu Busari still identified as Alagooja and involved in the state’s traditional affairs.
A significant turn came in February 2026 when the Oyo State Government elevated Alago-Oja and 13 other high chiefs and Baales to the status of crown-wearing Obas.
The denial comes against the backdrop of a long-running traditional and legal dispute over the Ago-Oja stool, which has its roots in the contentious relationship between the Ago-Oja traditional institution and the Alaafin of Oyo.
The controversy dates back years to the administration of former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, who had installed Ganiyu Ajiboye as Alago-Oja in 2006. The late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, challenged the move in court.
In a 2007 judgment, an Oyo State High Court held that the creation, appointment and installation of the Baale of Ago-Oja was illegal, unconstitutional, null and void, while the Court of Appeal subsequently upheld the position in 2008. The legal battle later generated contempt proceedings over the continued recognition of Ajiboye.
The dispute, however, did not end with those earlier judgments. Reporting in 2025 indicated that the matter remained tied to the broader struggle over the traditional administration of parts of Oyo town, with Chief Ganiyu Busari still identified as Alagooja and involved in the state’s traditional affairs.
A significant turn came in February 2026 when the Oyo State Government elevated Alago-Oja and 13 other high chiefs and Baales to the status of crown-wearing Obas.
Oba Abdulganiyu Ajiboye Busari was subsequently presented with the instruments of office at a ceremony in Oyo.
That elevation itself was not without controversy. The development was challenged by the Alaafin of Oyo’s legal team, which approached the Supreme Court seeking to halt the recognition and elevation of the Ago-Oja stool.
Vanguard reported that the application was filed in January 2026 in Appeal No. SC/404/2018 and that the matter had not been fixed for hearing at the time of its February report.
Despite the unresolved legal history, Oba Busari continued to appear publicly as the Alagooja.
Despite the unresolved legal history, Oba Busari continued to appear publicly as the Alagooja.
Against this background, the latest dethronement claim has now triggered a fresh response from the palace, which insists that no court has issued any new order removing Oba Busari from the throne.
“Any genuine legal development concerning the Alagooja of Ago-Oja Kingdom would be communicated through the appropriate and verifiable channels,” the palace said in its disclaimer.
The palace appealed to indigenes, residents, supporters and well-wishers to remain calm and avoid circulating information that cannot be independently verified, stressing that the traditional institution remains committed to peace and the preservation of the dignity of Ago-Oja Kingdom.
0 Comments