Abuja-based lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi has asserted that no Supreme Court judgment designates the Alaafin of Oyo as the ultimate authority on pan-Yoruba affairs, following an ultimatum reportedly issued to the Ooni of Ife over the conferment of the Okanlomo of Oodua title on Chief Dotun Sanusi, a prominent Yoruba businessman.

Olajengbesi, Managing Partner of Law Corridor, made the statement Wednesday in Ibadan.The lawyer argued that the Ooni of Ife acted within his lawful, ancestral, and cultural prerogatives, which he described as inherent and rooted in the normative foundation of Yoruba civilization, with Ile-Ife as its historical cradle. He emphasized that these rights, derived from the legacy of Odùduwà, are not subject to usurpation by other traditional stools.

With the greatest respect, the oft-cited Supreme Court decision that purportedly vested Alaafin authority now exaggerated must be properly confined to its facts. - Olajengbesi

Olajengbesi noted that the Oòdua identity, predating colonial and modern constructs, serves as the primordial foundation of Yoruba legitimacy, with the Ooni as its custodian. He contrasted this with the term “Yoruba,” a recent ethnolinguistic label, underscoring that the Ooni’s authority transcends such framing.He further stated that successive governments have recognized the Ooni of Ife as a pan-Yoruba monarch, citing Oba Adesoji Aderemi’s role as the first African Governor of the Western Region.

The conferment of the Okanlomo of Oodua title on Chief Dotun Sanusi, described as a cultural honor, was defended as within the Ooni’s jurisdiction, supported by historical precedents set by past Oonis, including Oba Adesoji Aderemi and Oba Okunade Sijuwade.Olajengbesi concluded that the Ooni’s action is lawful and culturally grounded, urging the Alaafin of Oyo to reconsider the ultimatum.