Rashidi Ladoja Set To Become Next Olubadan After Olakulehin’s Death

Former Oyo State governor, Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, is now poised to ascend the throne of Olubadan following the death of Oba Lekan Balogun, who passed on July 7, 2025.

Ladoja, who currently holds the title of Otun Olubadan, is the most senior chief in the civil line of succession—placing him next in line to become the 43rd Olubadan of Ibadanland. Under the city’s unique and strictly rotational chieftaincy system, the stool alternates between the civil (Otun) and military (Balogun) lines.

Born on September 25, 1944, in Gambari near Ibadan, Ladoja studied chemical engineering at the University of Liège in Belgium. He began his professional life at Total Nigeria before venturing into business and later politics. In 2003, he was elected governor of Oyo State under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but was controversially impeached in 2006 before being reinstated by the Supreme Court later that year. He completed his term in 2007.

Ladoja has remained a major political figure in Oyo State, contesting elections under various parties, most recently joining the Zenith Labour Party in 2018.

His path to the throne was once clouded by controversy surrounding the 2024 amendment to the Ibadan chieftaincy law. The law, backed by Governor Seyi Makinde, mandated that only chiefs who accept the ceremonial beaded crown can become Olubadan. Ladoja initially resisted the crown, seeing the change as political. However, in August 2024, he accepted the crown, clearing the way for his eventual succession.

The revised chieftaincy declaration sparked tensions, with some seeing the crown requirement as a move to block Ladoja’s path due to his strained relationship with Makinde, especially after opposing the governor’s 2023 re-election bid. The government, however, maintained that the reform was based on recommendations made during the late Olubadan’s reign to modernize the succession process.

With the Olubadan stool now vacant, the Olubadan-in-Council is expected to meet in the coming days to officially nominate Ladoja for approval as the next traditional ruler of Ibadan. If ratified, he will take the mantle of leadership in a city where he already commands respect both as a statesman and a royal figure.