Sarafadeen Alli’s Political Future At Crossroads As Makinde Forces ‘In Absentia’ Coronation

​IBADAN – The political landscape of Oyo State was thrown into a frenzy on Friday as the Governor Seyi Makinde-led administration officially crowned Senator Sarafadeen Alli and two others in absentia, a move that analysts believe is a calculated maneuver to redefine the Senator’s political trajectory ahead of the 2027 elections.

​By performing the coronation rites for Senator Alli at the historic Mapo Hall despite his absence, the state government has effectively placed the lawmaker in a “traditional checkmate.” In the unique hierarchy of Ibadanland, the elevation to a crown-wearing Oba carries heavy symbolic weight, traditionally distancing the holder from the “mud-slinging” arena of active, partisan politics.

​The coronation of Senator Alli, who currently represents Oyo South, as the Oba Sarafadeen Alli, the Ekarun Balogun of Ibadanland, raises immediate questions about his future in the Red Chamber. Historically, the transition from High Chief to a Crowned Oba is seen as a move toward sacred traditional duties, often viewed as incompatible with the daily rigors and “street” optics of political campaigning.

​Political observers in the state are already interpreting the government’s insistence on the “in absentia” ceremony as a subtle “golden handshake”—an attempt to ease a formidable political opponent out of the electoral field by elevating him to the prestige of the throne. Senator Alli, a heavyweight in the opposition, now finds himself in the delicate position of balancing his constitutional mandate as a Senator with the traditional constraints of his new royal status.

​The Deputy Governor, Chief Bayo Lawal, who represented Governor Makinde at the event, maintained that the move was strictly for the “prestige and administrative efficiency” of Ibadanland. However, within the corridors of power, the chatter is less about tradition and more about the 2027 power map. By bestowing the Staff of Office, the administration has placed the ball in the Senator’s court: to embrace the crown and its quiet dignity, or to continue the loud, abrasive battle for political survival.

​As the Senator remains silent on the development, his supporters are left to ponder if this elevation is a reward for his service to Ibadan or a strategic “elevation” designed to sideline him from the upcoming gubernatorial and senatorial contests. For now, Sarafadeen Alli is officially a King, but whether his political machinery can survive the weight of the crown remains the biggest question in Oyo politics today.