By Adedamola Olorunleke
What began as a routine thanksgiving service at Babamuboni Memorial Anglican Church, Iyin-Ekiti, on May 31, 2026 — attended by Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO) at the invitation of Senate Leader Michael Opeyemi Bamidele — has spiraled into a startling revelation.
At the center of the storm is the Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti, Oba Adeniyi Adeola Ajakaiye, whose palace formally and curiously demanded that the chair on which the Governor sat during the service be delivered to the palace for “royal custody and appropriate traditional rites.”
Letters obtained at the time of writing this piece reveal that this was not merely a cultural request but a brazen attempt to seize church property for unexplained purposes. The Anglican Church, in a dignified reply, declined. It explained that church property is held in trust under ecclesiastical governance and, more importantly, the chair no longer existed — it had already been dismantled and incorporated into the altar furnishing.
Yet Kabiyesi persisted. He allegedly went further by influencing the removal of the church’s Vicar for refusing to surrender the chair. Here, the misuse of office becomes glaring.
The people of Iyin had long observed that the monarch harbored ill will toward Governor Oyebanji, even before the primaries. This fixation on a chair reeks of something darker than tradition. Many in the community believe the king sought to use the chair for charms — ritual manipulation aimed at harming the governor just days before his re-election. The Department of State Services (DSS) took the matter seriously enough to invite the Oluyin for questioning, underscoring the gravity of the palace’s demand.
The fallout was ugly. The church’s Vicar, Ven. Dr. Samuel Sunday Agunbiade, who stood firm on ecclesiastical rules, was transferred under circumstances widely perceived as punishment orchestrated by the Oluyin. Whether directly engineered or not, the perception is damning: a clergyman who refused to bow to royal intimidation paid the price.
Let’s be clear: this was never about a chair. It was about ego, vendetta, and a monarch’s sinister obsession with undermining a governor he quietly dislikes. By turning a sacred space into a battleground for his grievances, the Oluyin exposed the darker side of traditional authority — where ritual becomes a mask for malice, and respect for institutions is trampled under the weight of personal spite.
The broader context makes this even more bizarre. Governors, presidents, ministers, and dignitaries have visited churches across Nigeria for decades. Never has it been reported that their chairs were demanded for “traditional rites.” This is absurd, cynical, and unprecedented.
The truth is stark: the Oluyin’s intent for the Governor’s chair, just days before the June 20 governorship election, was mischievous and should be thoroughly investigated. It was charm masquerading as culture — dangerous enough to warrant DSS scrutiny.
Ekiti Kete, the question is simple: if a chair used by a governor can be weaponized into a tool of sinister intent, while chairs used by other dignitaries were never requested, then what exactly were the Oluyin’s intentions?
Olorunleke writes from Irepodun /Ifelodun Local Government, Ekiti State
