Oyo princes take Alaafin to court to protect his paramountcy

Some princes of Oyo have filed a lawsuit against the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, seeking to preserve the monarch’s supremacy and prevent actions they claim undermine his traditional authority. The suit, filed at the Oyo State High Court in Oyo town and marked HOY/18/2026, requires the Alaafin to appear in person or through legal representation.

The claimants—Ladigbolu Adegboyega, Owoade Tesleem, Adeyemi Adesina, and Adeyemi Adebayo—are requesting several declaratory and injunctive orders. They want the court to restrain the Alaafin from attending events or performing duties that, in their view, are inconsistent with his status as the symbolic head of the Yoruba people.

Specifically, the princes seek an order preventing the Alaafin from acting in any capacity that would make him appear subservient to other traditional rulers in Yorubaland.

They also want the court to officially recognise the Alaafin’s office as a paramount institution with historical, cultural, and symbolic significance in Oyo, Nigeria, and West Africa.

The lawsuit further requests that the Alaafin’s authority over chieftaincies in Oyo town, Oyo North, and Oyo South be affirmed, and that he not act under the authority of any other Oba or participate in council matters in ways that could diminish his stature.

Attempts to reach the palace spokesperson, Bode Durojaiye, for comment were unsuccessful. No hearing date has been set.

The legal action reflects ongoing tensions within the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, a body advising the state government on traditional matters.

Disputes over hierarchy and authority have intensified in recent years following the reconstitution and grading of traditional rulers by successive state governments, including the elevation of some monarchs and the creation of parallel structures.

The Alaafin has also been involved in disputes with other Yoruba monarchs, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over claims of supremacy.

His absence at the council’s inauguration on January 16, 2026, by Governor Seyi Makinde further highlighted the tensions.