A traditional ruler, the Alayede of Ayede Ogbese in the Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, has revealed that kingmakers now consult pastors and other clerics outside the traditional system to pick new kings.
According to The PUNCH, he stated this during an interview while speaking about his kingship.
In the Yoruba traditional system, it’s a practice for the king makers to consult the Ifa oracular divinity for guidance on who to become the ruler of the people.
Oba Oluyede while explaining what his coronation rites was like stated that the kingmakers consulted pastors.
“The state law relating to our stool requires that interested male members of the Oluyede family should submit their applications to their family. The family has a kind of corporate meeting to which you submit your application.
“At that meeting, you can be disqualified by the family. But in my case, all of us who applied were allowed by the family to proceed to the next stage. That next stage involves the kingmakers, who come together to consider the applications.
” Their job is to go and do whatever spiritual thing they do, that reveals to them whom God has chosen. In the old traditional system, they consulted Ifa, which then tells them. But these days, because our family is Christian, we have jettisoned all the fetish, old system; now we encourage the kingmakers to consult with religious leaders, Christian leaders.
“That is what we encourage them to do, to seek spiritual advice and through that get to know the mind of God.
“When they come back and say this is the person they believe God has chosen, then that person is presented to the populace to see if the populace will revolt because you may find a candidate that Ifa, in those days, or God, now, has chosen and the people may say they don’t want. So, the people can be in conflict with God but often God will win.
“In my case, there was no impediment at all. Once the kingmakers decided it was me, it then went to the local government, the state government and they did their findings and decided whether one has a criminal record and so on.
” If there is no objection, they then approve and confirm and the government, at the coronation, presents you with your letter of appointment and staff of office,”he stated.