Yoruba Nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, stirred fresh reactions over the Alaafin stool during his reconciliation visit to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.
Igboho, who stormed the historic Ile Oodua Palace in Ile-Ife on Saturday with a large entourage of associates and supporters, tendered an open apology to the Ooni for past verbal attacks directed at him. His visit was largely seen as a peace mission following years of strained relations between the activist and the revered monarch.
In a video that surfaced online, however, Igboho stirred further controversy while addressing the gathering.
Against the backdrop of an ongoing supremacy clash between the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade and the Ooni of Ife, Igboho claimed that the Alaafin does not possess an original crown, insisted that the crown attributed to the Alaafin’s dynasty was actually taken from his own father and handed over to the Oyo throne.
His comment—“Alaafin has no crown; it was my father’s crown they collected and dashed Alaafin”—sparked loud reactions from those present inside the Ooni’s palace.
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The remark comes at a delicate time, as tensions between the Alaafin and Ooni flared earlier this week over a chieftaincy title.
On Monday, the Alaafin faulted the Ooni’s decision to confer the title of ‘Okanlomo of Yorubaland’ on Ibadan businessman Dotun Sanusi. Sanusi later clarified that the honour was actually ‘Okanlomo Oodua’, a cultural title meant to reflect Ooni’s Yoruba heritage without infringing on territorial authority.
The Alaafin, through a statement signed by his media aide Bode Durojaiye, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni to withdraw the conferment or face consequences. According to him, no Yoruba monarch outside the Alaafin holds the traditional authority to bestow titles that cover the entirety of Yorubaland.
In a swift reaction, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, said Oba Ogunwusi would not engage in further exchanges, stressed that the matter had been left “in the court of public opinion.”
Sunday Igboho’s latest declaration adds a fresh twist to the unfolding royal dispute, intertwining activism, cultural heritage, and the age-old rivalry between Yoruba monarchies.
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