IGBOZURUOKE MEDIA

Some princes from Oyo town, Oyo State, have dragged the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, before a State High Court, seeking judicial orders to restrict his public appearances and official conduct.

The princes, identified as Ladigbolu Adegboyega, Owoade Tesleem, Adeyemi Adesina and Adeyemi Adebayo, instituted the suit marked HOY/18/2026, asking the court to compel the Alaafin to enter an appearance either personally or through legal representation.

In the suit, the claimants are seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the Alaafin, “either by himself, servants, privies or any other person whatsoever,” from appearing or attending events and functions they claim are “not befitting the status of a symbolic traditional head of the Yoruba race.”

They also asked the court to bar the monarch from acting in any traditional or official capacity that would render him “subservient or inferior to any Oba in Yorubaland.”

The princes further urged the court to make far-reaching declarations on the status of the Alaafin’s stool, describing it as an institution of immense historical significance beyond Oyo and Yorubaland. 

According to the suit, the office of the Alaafin is “of great historical importance not only in Yorubaland but also in Nigeria, West Africa and beyond.”

They also sought declarations affirming that “the Alaafin of Oyo is the symbol of unity, togetherness and the pivotal holder of the cultural, customary and traditional heritage of the Yoruba people,” as well as “the paramount ruler and appointing authority over all chieftaincies in Oyo Town as well as Oyo North and South.”

Court documents indicate that Alaafin may enter an appearance personally or through his lawyers by filing the appropriate forms at the court registry or by forwarding them through a registered post.

The case has added to ongoing tensions surrounding traditional authority and the symbolic role of the Alaafin within Yorubaland.

The Eselu of Iselu Kingdom in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, in January had also urged the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade I, to avoid adopting a confrontational stance against government directives or engaging the Oyo State government through public statements in the media.

Akinyemi warned that such actions could attract consequences, noting that it remains within the powers of state governments to install or depose any traditional ruler found guilty of insubordination or disobedience to existing laws.

The monarch said the decision of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, to introduce a rotational chairmanship of the state’s Council of Obas was not unusual, stressing that similar arrangements are practised in several other states across the country.

In an open letter made available to journalists, Akinyemi said it was inappropriate for Owoade to challenge the government’s decision on social media and in newspaper publications just hours after the inauguration of the council, while also claiming that he was not consulted.

He explained that although the Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo are widely regarded as the overall heads of the Yoruba race and the sanctity of their stools must be preserved, Nigeria is no longer in an era where traditional rulers serve as heads of government.

“As a traditional ruler with over two decades of experience, I, the Eselu of Iselu, view the reaction of the Alaafin as an affront to the Office of the Governor of Oyo State.

“My candid advice to His Imperial Majesty, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, is that he should withdraw the press release and refrain from further comments on the matter in the media so as not to incur the wrath of the Oyo State government.” 

(Sahara Reporters)