The elevation of High Chief Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli (Ekaarun Balogun) to beaded crown status has reshaped the political landscape in Oyo State, effectively edging him out of the 2027 governorship race under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Alli, a prominent APC figure widely speculated to be nursing governorship ambitions, is now constrained by the dictates of the Oyo State Chiefs Law, which prohibits traditional title holders from engaging in partisan politics.
The law specifically requires that any one who intends to participate in politics must first relinquish his title, as occupants of recognised chieftaincy positions are expected to remain politically neutral and preserve the sanctity of the traditional institution.
Legal provisions guiding chieftaincy in the state emphasise that holders of beaded crowns, in particular, are custodians of culture and tradition and must not belong to or openly identify with political parties, canvass for votes, or contest elective offices while retaining their titles.
This places Alli in a position where he must choose between his new traditional status and any future political ambition.
With this development, the APC governorship contest in Oyo State is effectively “minus one,” narrowing the field of aspirants. Key figures still believed to be in contention include Senator Teslim Folarin, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and other emerging aspirants within the party.
The Oyo State Government had, in its communication to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba (Senator) Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, maintained that the elevation of Alli and other High Chiefs was “traditionally necessary and essential” to safeguard the integrity of the Ibadan traditional system and avoid insinuations of political interference.
While the move strengthens the traditional institution, it has also triggered fresh political calculations within the APC, as stakeholders reassess their strategies ahead of what is expected to be a keenly contested governorship election.
