Doyin Odebowale, a former Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties to the late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has criticised the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, over his recent demand that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, revoke a chieftaincy title conferred on businessman Dotun Sanusi.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Odebowale argued that traditional rulers derive their authority primarily within their local government areas and do not hold supremacy over other rulers outside their jurisdictions
“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,” Odebowale said.
He added that the Alaafin may have been misled into thinking there was a jurisdictional dispute between his office and that of the Ooni.
“I want to believe that the Alaafin of Oyo must have been misled into believing that there is an extant issue to be resolved between that office and that of the Ooni. I don’t see any justification for this distraction,” he said.
Odebowale also attributed recurring clashes among traditional rulers to a misunderstanding of their roles, calling it “permissive decadence” in the system.
“It appears to me that they are in a hurry to discard tradition. They are so happy when they are addressed as Oba, assistant pastor, or Alhaji; that is total abnegation of traditional values,” he lamented.
He noted that colonial-era legislation, which introduced chieftaincy laws, had historically limited the influence of monarchs, and that those who accepted colonial titles could no longer claim supremacy over other rulers.
“By government structure, their powers do not go beyond their local government, if you want to, by their letter. The Ooni of Ife is in Osun state, and they have their traditional council. The Alaafin of Oyo is in Oyo state, and they have a traditional council,” he said.
The remarks come amid a public dispute over the conferment of the “Okanlomo of Yorubaland” title on Sanusi. The Alaafin had issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding the Ooni revoke the title, claiming exclusive authority over Yoruba land. The Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, dismissed the ultimatum as an “empty threat,” adding that the matter would be handled in the “public court of opinion.”
The Alaafin’s media aide, Bode Durojaiye, later clarified that the monarch was not seeking supremacy over any other ruler but was acting to protect the sanctity of Yoruba tradition.
