Supreme Court Has Not Granted Alaafin Supremacy Over Pan-Yoruba Affairs, Says Lawyer

A recent feud between the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over the conferment of a Yoruba-wide chieftaincy title has sparked significant debate. The dispute centers on the Ooni’s decision to bestow the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on Ibadan businessman Engineer Dotun Sanusi, which the Alaafin contests as an infringement on his exclusive right to confer pan-Yoruba titles.

The Alaafin issued a 48-hour ultimatum urging the Ooni to revoke the title, warning of unspecified consequences if the directive is ignored. Oba Owoade claims that only he holds the exclusive authority to grant chieftaincy titles covering all of Yorubaland, citing a Supreme Court judgment that, in his view, affirms this right. He further contends that the Ooni’s authority is confined to the Oranmiyan Local Government area, now split into Ife Central, Ife North, and Ife South, rendering the Ooni’s conferment ultra vires. The Alaafin’s statement describes the conferment as an affront to his institution and an overreach of traditional jurisdiction, emphasizing the need for unity and peace across Yorubaland .

Responding to the ultimatum, the Ooni’s palace has chosen not to issue an official reply, preferring to leave public reactions as the primary forum for discourse. The Ooni’s spokesperson dismissed the Alaafin’s threat as undignified and emphasized focusing on unity rather than division within the Yoruba community .

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In a significant legal and cultural counterpoint, Abuja-based lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi publicly backed the Ooni, asserting that no Supreme Court judgment grants the Alaafin supremacy over pan-Yoruba affairs or exclusive chieftaincy conferment rights. Olajengbesi argued that the Ooni’s authority is rooted in ancestral and cultural prerogatives as the custodian of Yoruba identity, emanating from Ile-Ife, regarded traditionally as the cradle of the Yoruba people. The lawyer emphasized that the law recognizes traditional rulers within their respective states’ chieftaincy statutes and that the Alaafin’s purported exclusive claim lacks constitutional or judicial foundation. According to him, the Ooni acted within lawful and cultural rights in conferring the title, which symbolizes fraternity and solidarity rather than political or military power .

This controversy resurrects longstanding questions about traditional authority, jurisdiction, and cultural legitimacy among Yoruba monarchs, highlighting the delicate balance between history, law, and modern governance in Nigeria’s chieftaincy institutions. The evolving situation continues to invite public and scholarly attention on the roles and limits of Yoruba traditional rulers in the 21st century.