The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, has been formally summoned to the Oyo State High Court in Oyo town following a lawsuit filed by four Oyo princes challenging his conduct and traditional standing.
The suit, HOY/18/2026, was brought by Ladigbolu Adegboyega, Owoade Tesleem, Adeyemi Adesina, and Adeyemi Adebayo, who are asking the court to impose sweeping restrictions on the monarch’s public and traditional engagements.
In their writ of summons, the princes are seeking a perpetual injunction barring Oba Owoade, “either by himself, his servants, privies or any other person or persons whosoever,” from attending events they argue diminish the dignity of the Alaafin as a symbolic head of the Yoruba race.
They are also asking the court to restrain the Alaafin from performing any traditional or official role that could portray him as “subservient or inferior to any Oba in Yorubaland.”
Beyond the injunctions, the claimants want the court to affirm that the Alaafin of Oyo is the paramount ruler, custodian of Yoruba heritage, and the appointing authority over all chieftaincies in Oyo town, Oyo North, and Oyo South, stressing the throne’s influence across Nigeria, West Africa, and beyond.
Court documents indicate that Oba Owoade must respond in person or through legal counsel by filing the required appearance at the High Court registry or via registered post. No hearing date has yet been fixed.
The lawsuit is rooted in a long-running hierarchy dispute within the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, intensified by government-led regrading of traditional rulers and the elevation of certain monarchs.
Tensions deepened with the recognition of the Alaafin of Oyo, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, and the Soun of Ogbomoso as co-chairmen of the council. Notably, the Alaafin was absent from the council’s inauguration by Governor Seyi Makinde on January 16, 2026.
The legal battle also unfolds amid public rivalry between Oba Owoade and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over enduring claims of traditional supremacy within Yorubaland.
