‘Renounce Your Throne or Quit Politics’ — Barrister Ogunlola Tasks Senator Sarafadeen Alli

Nifemi Peters

A prominent legal practitioner, Barrister Ogunlola, has issued a stern challenge to the Senator representing Oyo Central, Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli, insisting that the lawmaker must choose between his traditional elevation as an Oba and his continued participation in active politics.

​Speaking on a broadcast segment monitored in Ibadan, the legal expert argued that Senator Alli’s acceptance of his new status within the Olubadan-in-Council hierarchy places him in a position of “indiscipline” against the laws governing public office in Nigeria.

​According to Ogunlola, the moment the Senator was elevated to the status of a monarch, his seat at the National Assembly should have been declared vacant. He premised his argument on the fact that an Oba is classified as a public officer who receives government emoluments, a status he claims is legally incompatible with holding an elective political office simultaneously.

​”What Sarafadeen is doing is just the indiscipline in this country,” Ogunlola declared during the discussion. “That moment when he was elevated to an Oba, his seat at the Senate ought to have been declared vacant. You cannot be an Oba and be receiving salary, and then you say you are a politician and you’re also receiving salary. That’s wrong!”

​Addressing the Senator’s rumored governorship ambitions for 2027, the lawyer maintained that while Alli has every right to contest, he must first clear the legal and ethical hurdle of his traditional title. He noted that the “opportunity cost” for the Senator’s political future must be the formal renunciation of his position on the Olubadan hierarchy.

​”He has every right to stand for election, but first, he must go and renounce his position. That is the only condition. That is the opportunity cost,” he added.

​The debate also touched on the controversial “crowning in absentia” of the Ibadan High Chiefs. While some argue that the absence of a physical ceremony might shield the lawmaker from such legal classifications, Ogunlola dismissed this, asserting that traditional procedures and government approval—not just the ceremony—confer the status. He drew parallels to historical precedents where monarchs were recognized by law even without formal coronations.

​The challenge comes at a sensitive time for Oyo State politics, as the integration of the Olubadan-in-Council into the “Obaship” structure continues to stir debate. With Senator Alli positioned as a key figure in the state’s political landscape, the call for him to “renounce the throne or quit politics” sets the stage for a potential legal showdown that could redefine the intersection of traditional royalty and modern governance in the Pacesetter State.