On the controversy, Oba Segun Ogunye Ojotumoro of Abigi Ijebu Waterside, Ogun State said, “It is a terrible action by the Olugbo. It is an act of trespass, in law and in tradition. Every Oba has a gazette. Olugbo has a gazette that only allows him to operate within his domain. And the highest he could do is to work in Ondo State and his subjects do not call him Imperial or anything rather than an Oba. Our attitude to it as members of Yoruba Obas Forum is that he does not have that power to confirm Obaship on anybody in Disapora. You don’t give what you don’t have. It is unfortunate that he is acting that way and we see it as an absurd to Yoruba kingship institution.
“On the issue of hierarchy, my reaction is that all of them should stop the battle for supremacy. We already have three of them that history supports: the Ooni of Ife, the Alaafin of Oyo and the Awujale of Ijebuland. We have never had it that Olugbo came up with his own history of Yorubaland. Whichever way you look at it, we are all Yoruba. We will keep working for peace in the land and should stop the unnecessary war of supremacy and distortion of history. I don’t think it is right”.
Oba Adedayo Shyllon-Sogbulu, Alagbado of Agbado, on his part, said, “In Yoruba land we have only one Ife king who is the Ooni overseeing the cradle of the entire Yoruba race. Olugbo is a king in Ugbo and not the Ooni of Ife. His kingdom migrated from Ife on his own accord and cannot claim to be the number one king in Yoruba land. On endorsement of certain people as kings, he has no power to do that. “Every Oba has regulations that guide him. He is restricted to his domain. He is Olugbo of Ugbo in Ilaje Kingdom. The Ilaje Kingdom has superiors. He is not even the paramount ruler of Ilaje as a kingdom. Secondly, the people he installed as Oba are not of royal blood, not from Ilaje Kingdom and also not living in his domain. No Oba has the power to install anyone outside his authority. His action is illegal and condemnable. We have made our opinion known and also will have a conference to that effect”.
Oba Adeoya Gbenga Oyinlola II, Aare Ofikiland of Oyo State, said, “As Nigerians, we follow our customs, traditions and the rule of law. We have our territories and everyone follows rules. In Yorubaland, we have three imperial kings, the Ooni of Ife, the Alaafin of Oyo and the Awujale, and they are those that are traditionally invested with such powers to recognise and install any Oba to that effect. And, again, we condemn, in totality, the action of the Olugbo. It is an affront on the tradition and values of Yorubaland.
In our conference, held sometime, last year, we agreed that no Oba outside the Yorubaland should be installed without the consent of the Ooni and Alaafin. Traditionally, before you can become an Oba in Yorubaland, you must conquer a territory or come from a royal lineage and pass through the kingmakers’ protocol. You can be a Yoruba leader outside the land but not an Oba. Olugbo’s action is Illegal because his office is gazetted and does not have the power outside his domain to do that. We have called on the Ondo State government to look into the matter and call him to order because he holds the tradition and value of the Yoruba race at a stake”.
Oba Idris Oladele Friday Kosoko, the Oniworo of Iworo land, Lagos State, said, “As a custodian of tradition and values, I am totally against the installation of any Oba in a foreign country. It is a wrong pattern of leadership and we, as Yoruba Obas, condemned this particular action, last year, during the Heritage Convention of Yoruba Obas held in Osun State. We resolved in writing to foreign embassies not to accord any person parading himself as a Yoruba Oba without a domain in Yorubaland. Besides, we have ambassadors and diplomats representing our interests in any foreign country. A person of influence can be a Yoruba leader but not an Oba. Olugbo did not do it right”.
