Ex-Ondo Aide Doyin Odebowale Says Alaafin Of Oyo Lacks Authority Beyond Local Government

Former Senior Special Assistant to the late Ondo State Governor, Doyin Odebowale, has criticized the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, following his confrontation with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over a chieftaincy title recently conferred on Ibadan businessman Dotun Sanusi.

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Odebowale argued that traditional rulers have authority only within their local government areas and are not constitutionally superior to elected officials at that level.

“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,” he said.

Odebowale suggested the Alaafin may have been misled into believing there was a jurisdictional dispute with the Ooni, describing the feud as an unnecessary distraction. He attributed recurring clashes among monarchs to what he called “permissive decadence,” lamenting that many traditional rulers now prioritize titles and recognition over cultural values.

“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 added.

The former aide also noted that British colonial policies had already curtailed the powers of monarchs, downgrading empires into stools and limiting their influence through chieftaincy laws.

“By government structure, their powers do not go beyond their local government. The Ooni of Ife is in Osun State with his own traditional council. The Alaafin of Oyo is in Oyo State with his traditional council. By the Oyo State chieftaincy law, only four Obas are recognised as imperial majesties. The Alaafin cannot act beyond his local government. By law, he is under his local government chairman,” Odebowale said.

The comments come amid a heated dispute after the Alaafin issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding that the Ooni revoke the “Okanlomo of Yorubaland” title conferred on Sanusi, claiming exclusive authority over Yoruba land chieftaincy matters.

Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, dismissed the ultimatum as an “empty threat,” while Alaafin’s media aide, Bode Durojaiye, later clarified that the monarch was not seeking supremacy over other rulers but was acting to safeguard Yoruba tradition.