Speaking during the installation of Senator Abdul-Aziz Yari as Obaloyin of Yorubaland and Mr. Seyi Tinubu as Okanlomo of Yorubaland at the Aganju Forecourt in Oyo, the Alaafin traced the Oyo throne's authority to the earliest political organization of the Yoruba people. He described the Alaafin's role as a central coordinating figure recognized across generations and affirmed by colonial records and Nigeria's Supreme Court.
However, the pan-Yoruba group Afenifere rejected the Alaafin's claim, calling it legally baseless and historically misleading. Afenifere's Organizing Secretary, Mr. Kole Omololu, argued that under Nigeria's 1999 Constitution, traditional rulers' authority is confined to their respective states, with no supra-regional jurisdiction. He dismissed references to the Oyo Empire as irrelevant to modern governance, noting that no Yoruba monarch currently pays homage to the Alaafin.
Similarly, High Ifa Priest Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon maintained that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, remains the supreme authority in Yorubaland. He explained that while the Alaafin historically held political power, the Ooni is the spiritual head and source of Yoruba tradition. Elebuibon attributed the rivalry between the two thrones to colonial interference, stressing that Yoruba tradition upholds the Ooni's supremacy.
The debate highlights tensions over cultural authority, historical legacy, and the evolving role of traditional institutions in contemporary governance.
