Abuja-based lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi has weighed in on the ongoing dispute between the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over the conferment of the Okanlomo of Yorubaland chieftaincy title on Ibadan business tycoon, Engineer Dotun Sanusi. Olajengbesi asserts that no Supreme Court judgment grants the Alaafin supremacy rights over pan-Yoruba affairs, backing the Ooni’s decision to confer the title.
Olajengbesi argues that the Alaafin’s threat to the Ooni is “wholly gratuitous and constitutionally unsound.” He emphasizes that the Ooni acted within his lawful, ancestral, and cultural prerogatives, which are inherent and incapable of usurpation by any other stool. According to Olajengbesi, these prerogatives derive from the normative foundation of Yoruba civilization, with Ile-Ife recognized as the cradle of Yoruba existence and legitimacy. He notes that no statute, Supreme Court judgment, or constitutional instrument vests exclusive pan-Yoruba jurisdiction in the Alaafin.
The lawyer stresses that the conferment of the title Okanlomo of Oodua on Chief Dotun Sanusi is a cultural honor, symbolic of fraternity and solidarity, and falls within the Ooni’s remit as custodian of Yoruba identity. Olajengbesi explains that traditional rulers are recognized through state chieftaincy statutes, not residual claims of imperial conquest. He adds that any Supreme Court decision purportedly vesting authority in the Alaafin must be confined to its specific facts, and no ratio decidendi has declared the Alaafin the sole custodian of Yoruba legitimacy.
The dispute between the Alaafin and the Ooni has sparked tension in Yorubaland, with the Alaafin giving the Ooni a 48-hour ultimatum to revoke the chieftaincy title or face severe consequences. Olajengbesi’s statement is seen as a strong defense of the Ooni’s position and a rejection of the Alaafin’s claims of supremacy.
Olajengbesi highlights the historical significance of Ile-Ife as the primordial seat where Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba people, laid the foundation of legitimacy from which all kingdoms, including Oyo, derived their authority. This historical context underscores the Ooni’s role as a custodian of Yoruba identity and tradition, further supporting his decision to confer the title on Chief Dotun Sanusi.
