A former aide to the late Ondo State Governor, Doyin Odebowale, has faulted the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, over his demand that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, withdraw a chieftaincy title recently conferred on Ibadan businessman, Dotun Sanusi.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Wednesday, Odebowale stressed that traditional rulers’ powers are limited to their local government jurisdictions and do not extend beyond their states or territories.
“With respect to most of these rulers now, there is a misapprehension of roles. They want to be addressed as Kabiyesi, but they are not. They are under the local government chairman in their respective localities. So this idea of somebody sitting in Oyo and legislating on what happens in Ile-Ife is a misnomer,” he said.
Odebowale argued that the Alaafin may have been misinformed about a supposed jurisdictional conflict with the Ooni. He described the controversy as an unnecessary distraction, noting that frequent clashes among monarchs reflect what he called a “permissive decadence” in the traditional institution.
According to him, many rulers appear to be neglecting authentic traditions in pursuit of titles and modern recognition, sometimes combining roles as “Oba, pastor, or Alhaji,” which he described as a “total abnegation of traditional values.”
He also provided a historical perspective, recalling how British colonial laws downgraded monarchs’ powers, reducing once-powerful empires to stools regulated under chieftaincy laws.
“By law, their powers do not go beyond their local government. The Ooni of Ife is in Osun State and has his traditional council. The Alaafin is in Oyo State with his own council. By the Oyo State Chieftaincy Law, only four Obas are recognised as imperial majesties. The Alaafin cannot act beyond his local government. He is, by law, under his local government chairman,” Odebowale explained.
The remarks follow the Alaafin’s 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni, demanding that he revoke the title of “Okanlomo of Yorubaland” conferred on Sanusi at an event in Ibadan last weekend.
However, the Ooni’s spokesman, Moses Olafare, dismissed the warning as an “empty threat,” while the Alaafin’s aide, Bode Durojaiye, later clarified that the monarch was not seeking supremacy over other rulers but only aimed to safeguard Yoruba cultural traditions.
