10 Facts About Rashidi Ladoja, Oyo Ex-Governor and the Next Olubadan of Ibadan

Ibadan’s succession ladder is moving again. With the passing of Oba Lekan Balogun and the expected elevation of Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, former Oyo State governor Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, now Otun Olubadan, stands next in line to become the 43rd Olubadan of Ibadanland. 

His path has been anything but typical for a traditional ruler: chemical engineer, shipping executive, embattled governor, and uncompromising defender of Ibadan’s chieftaincy rules. 

Here are 10 essential facts about Rashidi Ladoja:

1. Succession by seniority

Ibadan’s chieftaincy system is strictly rotational. As Otun Olubadan (the highest civil-line chief), Rashidi Ladoja, 79, automatically moves up after the death of Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, making him the monarch-in-waiting.

2. Roots in Gambari

Born 25 September 1944 in the Gambari quarter of Ibadan, Ladoja meets the first criterion for the throne, which is that he must be an Ibadan indigene through and through.

3. Engineer first, politician later

He earned a degree in chemical engineering at the University of Liège, Belgium, in 1972, then spent two decades in oil marketing and maritime logistics before entering politics.

4. A turbulent governorship

Elected Oyo governor in 2003 under the PDP flag, he was impeached in January 2006, reinstated by the courts that November, and completed his term in May 2007. The ordeal sharpened his instinct for legal combat.

5. Serial party switcher

After leaving the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), he founded the Accord Party, flirted with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and contested elections under the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). None of those moves dented his local influence.

6. Elected Senator in the Third Republic

In 1993, during Nigeria’s brief Third Republic, he secured a seat in the Senate on the platform of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP).

7. Business interests

He sits on the boards of maritime, insurance, and agro-allied firms, giving him private-sector clout that’s rare among Yoruba traditional rulers.

8. Legal battles with Governors

In 2017, he sued Governor Abiola Ajimobi for elevating 21 Ibadan high chiefs outside the recognised succession order. The courts voided the elevations, reinforcing Ladoja’s position that custom outranks politics.

9. One ladder to the throne

Ibadan’s ladder to the throne has 23 steps. Ladoja has spent nearly two decades advancing from Mogaji (family head) to every rung, culminating in the position of Otun Olubadan.

10. Expected policy focus as Olubadan

Allies say he will push harder for federal roads, rail links, and land-title reform in Ibadanland, leveraging relationships built in and out of office.