The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has firmly denied engaging in a supremacy battle with any monarch, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, or any other traditional ruler in Yorubaland or beyond. In a statement released on Thursday, August 21, 2025, by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the Alaafin emphasized his role as a custodian of Yoruba culture and tradition, prioritizing the welfare of his people and the unity of Yorubaland over personal or institutional rivalries.
The statement comes amid reports of a brewing conflict between the Alaafin and the Ooni, sparked by the latter’s conferment of the chieftaincy title “Okanlomo of Oduwa” on Ibadan-based businessman and philanthropist, Chief Dotun Sanusi, during the unveiling of an indigenous social media platform, 2geda, at Ilaji Hotel in Ibadan over the weekend. On Monday, August 18, 2025, the Alaafin issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni to revoke the title, describing it as an “affront” to his authority and a violation of Yoruba tradition. He argued that only the Alaafin holds the exclusive right to confer titles encompassing the entirety of Yorubaland, citing a purported Supreme Court ruling and the Ooni’s limited jurisdiction to Ife Central, Ife North, and Ife South local government areas.
However, in Thursday’s statement, Oba Owoade clarified that his objection was not rooted in a quest for supremacy but in a commitment to preserving Yoruba cultural heritage and ensuring adherence to traditional protocols. “Why should the Alaafin engage in any battle for supremacy with any Oba, either in Yorubaland or anywhere in the universe?” the statement read, quoting Alexander Graham Bell: “The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion. It is the man who carefully advances step by step, with his mind becoming wider and wider, and progressively able to grasp any theme or situation—persevering in what he knows to be practical, and concentrating his thought upon it, who is bound to succeed in the greatest degree.”
The Alaafin described himself as an “indomitable monarch with an unequalled passion for the great good of all,” emphasizing that his actions are guided by the will and welfare of his subjects. “He is a veritable custodian of Yoruba culture and tradition, and has always taken into consideration the safety and welfare of his subjects and will never compromise tradition, culture, and development of his people for a pot of porridge,” the statement added. Oba Owoade’s titles—Kabiyesi (the king who no one questions), Iku Baba Yeye (the one who commands death), Alashe (he who wields authority), and Ekeji Orisha (second-in-command to the gods)—underscore his spiritual and cultural significance as a direct representative of Yoruba deities like Ifa and Sango.
The controversy over the Okanlomo title has reignited a historic rivalry between the Oyo and Ife thrones, two of Yorubaland’s most revered institutions. Ile-Ife, widely regarded as the ancestral home of the Yoruba people and the birthplace of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba race, holds a spiritual primacy, with the Ooni as its symbolic head. Conversely, the Alaafin’s authority is rooted in the political and military dominance of the Oyo Empire, which, at its peak, was the largest and most authoritative Yoruba principality, extending influence across present-day Nigeria, Togo, and Benin Republic.
The Okanlomo title, meaning “the one who is dear to the hearts of all Yorubas,” has become a focal point of contention due to its pan-Yoruba significance. Reports indicate that the Ooni designated Sanusi as Okanlomo of Yorubaland five years ago during a courtesy visit, though the installation was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ooni praised Sanusi’s contributions to community and humanitarian development in Oyo State, noting shared qualities and their status as “birthday mates.” However, the Alaafin’s palace argued that the title’s conferment exceeds the Ooni’s jurisdiction, which is confined to the former Oranmiyan Local Government, now split into three local government areas.
In response, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, dismissed the Alaafin’s ultimatum as an “empty threat,” likening Oba Owoade to the late comedian Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala) and stating that the Ooni would not dignify the matter with an official response. Olafare emphasized that the issue was best left to the “court of public opinion.” The Ooni’s camp, supported by groups like the Yoruba Heritage Forum and the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization Afenifere, argued that the Ooni’s authority transcends local boundaries as the spiritual head of the Yoruba race. Afenifere’s Organising Secretary, Abagun Omololu, noted that colonial restructuring confined the Alaafin’s authority to Oyo Province, while the Ooni’s primacy extends across Yorubaland.