Oyo Oba Council Crisis: Princes Want Alaafin Restricted From Official Engagements

Following the crisis rocking the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, a group of princes in Oyo, has filed a lawsuit against the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, seeking a restriction on his official engagements.

They claimed that the filing of a suit at the Oyo State High Court in Oyo Town was aimed at safeguarding what they described as the historical and cultural supremacy of the Alaafin’s office.

In the suit, filed under case Number HOY/18/2026, the claimants, Ladigbolu Adegboyega, Owoade Tesleem, Adeyemi Adesina and Adeyemi Adebayo, asked the court to summon the Alaafin to respond to their various claims, either in person or through legal counsel.

The princes are seeking a perpetual injunction to prevent the monarch from attending events or performing official duties they say are inconsistent with the dignity of the Alaafin as a symbolic traditional leader of the Yoruba people.

They argued that it would be inappropriate for the Alaafin to appear in ways that make him appear subservient or inferior to other traditional rulers in Yorubaland.

Legal filings included a demand that Alaafin be prevented from acting under the authority of any other Oba or participating in council affairs in ways that could undermine his status.

The claimants further sought a declaration that the office of the Alaafin of Oyo, currently occupied by the defendant, is of great historical importance not only in Yorubaland but also in Nigeria, West Africa and beyond.

“A declaration that the Alaafin of Oyo is the symbol of unity, togetherness and the pivotal holder of the cultural, customary and traditional heritage of the Yoruba people.

“A declaration that the Alaafin of Oyo is the paramount ruler and appointing authority over all chieftaincies in Oyo Town as well as Oyo North and South,” the suit read.

The defendant, as stated in the writ of summons, may enter an appearance personally or through legal practitioners by handing in the appropriate forms duly completed at the registry of the High Court of the judicial division where the action was brought, or by sending them to the registry by registered post.

No hearing date has yet been fixed by the court.

‎Observers said the lawsuit reflects ongoing tensions over traditional hierarchy and governance within the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, especially following recent reconstitutions of traditional structures by state authorities.