Araba Ifayemi Elebuibon, a revered Yoruba cultural icon and prominent Ifa priest, has denied assertions that the Alaafin of Oyo has greater authority, reiterating the supremacy of the Ooni of Ife as the foremost traditional ruler in Yorubaland, as reported by The Guardian Nigeria on Thursday, August 28, 2025.
In an interview that took place amidst rekindled animosity between the two crowns, Elebuibon emphasised that Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, has the highest position in Yoruba tradition.
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, recently questioned the Ooni’s authority to bestow chieftaincy titles throughout Yorubaland, prompting his remarks.
Elebuibon adamantly maintained that no Yoruba king or queen should challenge the Ooni’s authority, calling any such move “a child disrespecting his father.” According to him, other Yoruba monarchs must show reverence for the Ooni’s throne since it symbolises the spiritual and ancestral lineage of all Yoruba kingship.
It is customary for the Ooni to avoid any challenge from Yorubaland’s Oba. The Ooni is the highest-ranking member of the Ooni people and their patriarch. He said that the current situation is pointless and divisive.
Continuing supremacy conflicts only shame the Yoruba race at home and abroad, the Ifa priest warned, calling for moderation and maturity in managing the relationship between the two rulers.
His message was clear: he didn’t want the Alaafin’s palace or organisations like the Oyo Legacy to sow discord by fostering animosity. In addition, Elebuibon elaborated on how the Ooni and the Alaafin had harmonious, mutually beneficial relationships before to colonisation.
Oyo was the political and military force that extended the Yoruba border, while Ile-Ife was the Yoruba civilization’s spiritual nexus. Colonialism and treaties that granted political power to the Alaafin, he said, sowed the seeds of the present animosity, which is at odds with Yoruba culture. Among the many sons bestowed upon the Ooni as a father was Oranmiyan, who would go on to become the Alaafin.
Despite his great authority and the expansion of Oyo into an empire, Oranmiyan never lost his status as the son of the Ooni. As Elebuibon pointed out, a son cannot hold a position of authority above his father.
He ended by pleading with Oba Ogunwusi and Oba Owoade to put the advancement of the Yoruba people ahead of any claims to supremacy and to work together in harmony. “All they have to do is put an end to all the nitpicking and concentrate on peace and development; they already know what to do,” he added.
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