Okanlomo of Oodua title: Ooni, Alaafin supremacy battle reignited,
•How Oba Ogunwusi settled with late Oba Adeyemi
By Dayo Johnson & Laolu Elijah
IBADAN— WHEN the Ooni of Ife, Oba Eniitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi visited the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, twice in January and May 2016 to break the 79-year jinx, many Yoruba sons and daughters were happy that the embers of discord that had been stoked for many decades had finally been extinguished.
The historic visit resonated across the globe simply because it was in 1937 that such a visit was made by the then Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi.
Both monarchs ensured that the seed of peace they sowed germinated and was well nurtured by their utterances and attitude.
That cordial relationship between them lasted till Oba Adeyemi joined his ancestors on April 22, 2022.
During the visit, the late Alaafin Adeyemi, who could not hide his joy, said it was the first by any Ife monarch since 1937, confirming that he had not enjoyed cordial relationships with the past Ife monarchs.
He said: “May your reign be long, Ooni. I am happy with Ooni Ogunwusi’s moves to unite all Yoruba Obas. This special visit was done last in March 1937, which was the first time the kings in Yorubaland met in Oyo town and history was made with the visit of Arole Oodua, Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II and I feel delighted to host you and to reassure you that I will be ready to work with you.
“I have a tight relationship with Ooni Adesoji Aderemi and I did not want to relent my bond with any Ooni of Ife that assumed the post, but everybody has their little differences.
“The peace process that I and the Ooni began will yield good results. We are on a mission to unite the entire Yoruba race, and the Ooni’s interest is a welcome development. Without peace and tolerance, we cannot establish lasting unity among our people.”
Responding to Alaafin’s complimentary remarks, Oba Ogunwusi said: “It is a new dawn for all Yoruba sons and daughters around the globe. I am here, though not invited but as the Arole Oduduwa, the onus is on me to felicitate with all sons and daughters wherever they are and to show my solidarity for any of them.
“I am ready to damn any consequences or insinuations from anywhere; my mission here is to preach peace among the nations of Yoruba, both home and abroad, and I am ready to work with Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Adeyemi, to project the unity and love which we believe exists in the days of our forefathers.
“I am here in the presence of the people of Oyo and God our creator, who knows everything. It is a day of joy when the Yoruba race comes together to celebrate its own leaders. It is also a day of joy because I am celebrating with our king, the Alaafin of Oyo.”
No fewer than 30 other kings were present at the 45th coronation anniversary of the late Alaafin to witness the peace move.
Truncated peace deal
But the celebration of the promotion of peace did not last long. The spirited efforts made by Oba Adeyemi and Oba Ogunwusi suddenly began to collapse like a pack of cards shortly after the coronation ceremony of the 46th Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, on April 5, 2025.
How the peace was ruptured
Immediately after his enthronement, some people rekindled the supremacy battle by claiming that the Alaafin is the most supreme king in Yorubaland.
In fact, right at the venue of the coronation ceremony at Oyo Town, they began to reignite the dying embers of bitterness.
About three months ago, at an event organised by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in Ibadan, there was a viral video when Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Owoade, remained seated when Oba Ogunwusi was exchanging greetings with him. Tongues wagged then that there had been a cold war between the two.
Ooni’s chieftaincy title on Dotun Sanusi
Just as the simmering crisis subsided, then came the statement from the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to Oba Ogunwusi to withdraw a chieftaincy title he conferred on a prominent Ibadan indigene, Dotun Sanusi.
In recognition of the invaluable contributions by Jubril Dotun Sanusi, a business mongul, Oba Ogunwusi had conferred on him the chieftaincy title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland at the unveiling of 2GEDA last weekend, at the Ilaji International Hotel, Ibadan.
This appears to have stirred the hornet’s nest as Alaafin believes that Ooni had bitten more than he can chew, especially in his domain.
The contentious issue, however, is that Chief Jubril was honoured with the title Okanlomo Oodua and not Okanlomo of Yorubaland.
Alaafin warns Ooni
The Alaafin, in the statement by his Director of Media, Mr Bode Durojaye stated: “Ooni of Ife is behaving as if there is no authority to check and call him to order and because of that “above the law” syndrome of his, he is in the habit of walking on everybody’s’ back including the apex Court in the country, the Supreme Court, which had ruled on the exclusive preserve of the Alaafin to confer chieftaincy title that covers the entire Yorubaland on anyone. The instrument of office presented to Oba Ogunwusi, during his installation, specifically limits his Traditional area of authority to Oranmiyan Local Government, which has now been split into three Local Governments, viz: Ife Central, Ife North and Ife South.
“The dictum that nobody is above the law of the land is now being put to a crucial test and the reality of our time makes it very obligatory for the Alaafin to call the Ooni of Ife to order and demand revocation of the so- called Okanlomo of Yorubaland chieftaincy title conferred on Engineer Dotun Sanusi within 48 hours or face the consequences.”
Ooni ignores Alaafin’s warning
Reacting via his Facebook handle, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, disclosed that his principal had instructed him against issuing a formal press release on the matter.
According to Olafare, Oba Ogunwusi’s ultimatum is an “empty threat.”
“My Principal has directed me against issuing a Press Release on the empty threat of the Alawada Babasala. I beg to disappoint you, gentlemen of the press,” Olafare stated.
“The issue would be handled in the ‘public court of opinion. Let’s rather focus on narratives that unite us rather than the ones capable of dividing us. No Press Release please (sic) 48 hours my foot”, Olafare added.
Though Ooni of Ife has refused to be dragged into the issue, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere and some community leaders (Mogajis) have defended him, taking exception to Alaafin’s comments.
Afenifere reacts
Afenifere’s National Organising Secretary, Otunba Kole Omololu, who went down memory lane, said: “During the colonial period, the British deliberately divided Yorubaland into several provinces to facilitate administration, grouping together different divisions or districts.
“It is, therefore, historically evident that the Alaafin’s power was largely confined to Oyo Province and its constituent towns. While the Alaafin exercised temporal and political authority within this domain, he never held control over all Yoruba towns. By contrast, the Ooni of Ife’s supremacy transcended provincial boundaries, resting on spiritual, ancestral, and cultural legitimacy. All Yoruba lineages trace their origin to Ile-Ife, recognising the Ooni as the primordial custodian of their heritage.
“Thus, whereas the defunct Oyo Empire’s political dominion was geographically limited, the Ooni’s authority as to “first among equals” endured across Yorubaland, encompassing every Yoruba town, including Oyo itself.
“Though the Alaafin was politically powerful due to the legacy of the Oyo Empire, the Ooni of Ife was consistently recognised as the spiritual and cultural head of the Yoruba race. This distinction – spiritual supremacy for the Ooni, political influence for the Alaafin – became institutionalised in colonial administrative writings and practices.
“While the Alaafin of Oyo retained historic prestige as a symbol of the Oyo Empire’s political might, the Ooni of Ife was superior in colonial recognition as the spiritual head of the entire Yoruba nation. This was not a power imposed by the British, but rather one they acknowledged, codified, and used in their provincial administration.”
Ibadan indigenes align with Ooni of Ife
Some Ibadan indigenes, through the President of Ibadan Mogajis, Mogaji Asimiyu Ariori, and Coordinator of the Ibadan Compound Peace Initiative, Mogaji Nurudeen Akinade, stated unequivocally that “an attack on the Bada Olubadan-designate is an attack on the entire Ibadanland,” urging Yoruba elders to call the Alaafin to order.
Akinade recalled that the late Oba Lamidi Adeyemi never objected when the Ooni conferred the title on Sanusi in 2020 at Ilaji Resorts.
To them, Alaafin’s comments are provocative, alleging that “the kind of Alaafin we have now may end up being an embarrassment to Yorubaland.”
Akinade said: “He has started provoking Ibadan people by attacking a foremost Olubadan chief, a philanthropist, and a respected personality. Yorubas should caution him against irrational and divisive thinking.”
Also, another prominent Ibadan man, Mogaji Abass Oloko, in another statement, described the alleged threat by Alaafin as “outrageous, absurd, historically misguided and a clear demonstration of misunderstanding regarding the Yoruba traditional authority.”
Condemning the ultimatum by Alaafin, Oloko maintained that the threat was a troubling disregard for established customs that have governed the Yoruba people for centuries.
Except some notable Yoruba indigenes quickly rise up and quench the simmering royal crisis, it may compromise the foundation of peace and unity that the 45th Alaafin, Oba Adeyemi, had longed for. This urgent action is needed to make Oba Adeyemi and his predecessors who are with their ancestors to rest in peace.
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•How Oba Ogunwusi settled with late Oba Adeyemi By Dayo Johnson & Laolu Elijah IBADAN— WHEN the Ooni of Ife, Oba Eniitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi visited the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, twice in January and May 2016 to break the 79-year jinx, many Yoruba sons and daughters were happy that the embers of […]
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