A lawyer based in Abuja, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has said that the Supreme Court has never given the Alaafin of Oyo the right to control Yoruba matters above other traditional rulers.
This statement comes after a clash between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade.
The issue started when the Ooni gave a chieftaincy title, “Okanlomo of Yorubaland,” to Ibadan businessman, Engineer Dotun Sanusi.
The Alaafin was not happy about the title and told the Ooni to cancel it within 48 hours or face serious consequences.
Reacting to this on Tuesday, Olajengbesi described the Alaafin’s threat as “unnecessary and not supported by the law.” He explained that the Ooni of Ife has the right to give cultural titles because Ile-Ife is recognised as the root of Yoruba history and tradition.
According to him, Yoruba heritage shows that Ile-Ife is the birthplace of the Yoruba people, where Oduduwa started the race, and from where other kingdoms, including Oyo, got their authority.
Olajengbesi also made it clear that there is no Supreme Court judgment, no law, and no constitution that gives the Alaafin sole power to act as the leader of all Yorubas. He said chieftaincy matters are governed by state laws and not by old claims of supremacy.
He further explained that the title given to Chief Dotun Sanusi is not a political office but only a cultural honour, which the Ooni has full right to bestow.
In his words: “No statute in any Yoruba-speaking state vests exclusive authority in the Alaafin to confer titles of pan-Yoruba significance, and the Court cannot by judicial fiat extend such jurisdiction.
“Such honours fall well within the Ooni’s remit as custodian of Yoruba identity.”
