AfriPulse
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade , has been summoned to appear in person or through legal representation in a suit filed against him by four princes of Oyo at the Oyo State High Court in Oyo town.
The lawsuit, marked HOY/18/2026, was instituted by Ladigbolu Adegboyega, Owoade Tesleem, Adeyemi Adesina, and Adeyemi Adebayo, who are seeking declaratory and injunctive relief against the monarch.
In the writ of summons, the princes asked the court to issue a perpetual injunction restraining Oba Owoade, “either by himself, his servants, privies or any other person or persons whosoever,” from appearing at or attending occasions they claim are not befitting the status of a symbolic traditional head of the Yoruba race.”
They also want an order preventing the Alaafin from acting in any traditional or official capacity that could render him “subservient or inferior to any Oba in Yorubaland.”
Beyond the injunctive reliefs, the claimants are seeking multiple declarations from the court, including that:
The office of the Alaafin of Oyo carries “immense historical importance not only in Yorubaland but also in Nigeria, West Africa and beyond.”
The Alaafin of Oyo is “the symbol of unity, togetherness and the pivotal custodian of the cultural, customary and traditional heritage of the Yoruba people.”
The Alaafin is the paramount ruler and appointing authority over all chieftaincies in Oyo town and its environs, including Oyo North and Oyo South.
According to the writ, Oba Owoade is required to enter an appearance either personally or through his lawyer by filing the appropriate forms at the High Court registry or by sending the documents by registered post.
The princes also want the court to prevent the Alaafin from acting under the authority of any other Oba or participating in council matters in ways that could undermine his status as paramount ruler.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
The legal action stems from a longstanding dispute over hierarchy and authority within the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, a body established to advise the government on traditional matters.
Tensions in the House of Odas (traditional council) escalated following the reconstitution and grading of traditional rulers by successive Oyo State governments, particularly the elevation of certain monarchs and the creation of parallel traditional structures.
Central to the controversy is the recognition of the Alaafin, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, and the Soun of Ogbomoso as co‑chairmen of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
Notably, the Alaafin was expected at the inauguration of the council by Governor Seyi Makinde on January 16, 2026, but was conspicuously absent.
Oba Owoade has also been publicly at odds with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over longstanding supremacy claims within the Yoruba traditional hierarchy.
Source: Naijanews.com | Read the Full Story…
