The monarch made this known in a statement issued on Thursday by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, has dismissed speculations of being in a supremacy tussle with any traditional ruler, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi.
The monarch made this known in a statement issued on Thursday by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The clarification followed reports of a fresh dispute between the Alaafin and the Ooni after Oba Owoade faulted the Ooni’s decision to confer the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on businessman Dotun Sanusi, aka Ilaji, during the unveiling of the indigenous social media network, 2geda, at Ilaji Hotel, Ibadan, last weekend.
On Monday, the Alaafin issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni of Ife, demanding the revocation of the contentious chieftaincy title.
The Alaafin described the Ooni’s action as an affront to his authority, insisting that only the Alaafin holds the exclusive right to confer titles covering the entire Yorubaland.
He accused the Ooni of exceeding his traditional jurisdiction and disregarding a Supreme Court judgment which, he said, affirmed the Alaafin’s sole prerogative in such matters.
He said the conferment of chieftaincy titles that concern Yorubaland is the exclusive preserve of the Alaafin.
The monarch noted that the Ooni’s action is unlawful, derogatory, and amounts to going against the authority of the Supreme Court.
According to the fresh statement from Alaafin Palace, the monarch remains a “veritable custodian of Yoruba culture and tradition,” who prioritises the welfare and safety of his subjects above personal interests.
Quoting the monarch, Durojaiye said: “Why Alaafin does not need to get into any battle for supremacy with any Oba, either in Yorubaland or anywhere in the universe?
“These immortal words of Alexander Graham Bell – The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion – sum up the life voyage of Owoade, an indomitable monarch with an unequalled passion for the great good of all.”
He added that Alaafin Owoade has always relied on the will and wishes of his people and would never “compromise tradition, culture and development of his people for a pot of porridge.”
The statement further described the Alaafin as a monarch who “combines humility with royalty to meet modern-day demands,” while also being spiritually vested with authority through his induction into the mysteries of Yoruba deities such as Ifa and Sango.
“At the hallowed ground of the Yoruba ancient shrine, Owoade made a covenant with illustrious Yoruba ancestors that he would defend, protect and add glamour to the Yoruba norms and tradition,” the statement read.
Tracing the historical prominence of Oyo, the statement emphasised that the city rose to power through wealth and military might, becoming “the largest West African empire, the most important and authoritative of all the early Yoruba principalities.”
It also recalled that the British colonial government recognised the Alaafin as the “Superior Head of the Yoruba Nation” during the signing of treaties.
On governance, the statement maintained that Oba Owoade remains deeply concerned about the sanctity of his position and the welfare of his people.
“The basic concept of government was monarchy with a rigid adherence to the monolithic Oduduwa dynasty and of the paternal line,” the statement noted.
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