An Ibadan-based chieftaincy and constitutional lawyer, Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre, has formally approached a competent High Court sitting in Ile-Ife, Osun State, seeking judicial interpretation of the powers of the Ooni of Ife regarding the conferment of chieftaincy titles on non-Nigerian heads of state.
In the originating summons before the court, the lawyer challenges the recent installation of the President of the Republic of Ghana as Ifá Ọmọ Odùduwà, contending—purely as a matter for interpretation—that the authority to confer such a title does not reside with the throne of Ife.
In a sworn affidavit accompanying the suit, Barrister Ojo-Lanre first establishes, beyond argument, that the Ooni of Ife is Olórí Adé Gbogbo, the unquestioned Head of all Yoruba Crowns; Àrólẹ̀ Odùduwà, custodian of lineage, essence, and the enduring identity of the Yoruba race; the spiritual nucleus of Yoruba civilisation, the point from which ancestry flows and to which history continually returns. He affirms that the Ooni is the Oba of the Source—monarch of origins, memory, and metaphysical authority—whose stool predates modern borders and whose relevance transcends geography.
The affidavit further describes the Ooni as a globally recognised, cosmopolitan monarch—fluent in ancient rites and contemporary statecraft; first among equals by historical consensus, not by contest; an Oba of peace whose throne mediates culture, harmony, and humanity. Spiritually endowed, ancestrally licensed, traditionally certified, and historically endorsed, the Ooni is portrayed not merely as a king of territory, but as a king of meaning, continuity, and civilisational legitimacy—one of the most influential traditional rulers in the world.
Having painstakingly established all of the above, the affidavit then proceeds—without hesitation—to argue that, despite these acknowledged attributes, the Ooni of Ife nonetheless lacks the authority to bestow the said chieftaincy title on the President of Ghana.
According to the claimant, the power to install the Ghanaian President as a Son of Odùduwà does not lie in Ife, but elsewhere—specifically in Usi-Ekiti. Not necessarily with the Olúsi of Usi, nor strictly within the palace, nor even directly within tradition itself, but somehow—by a combination of legal imagination and spiritual creativity—within the personal jurisdiction of Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre, who further claims concurrent royal competence as the Emperor (or Alaafin, depending on interpretation) of Ibipeju Oniru Chambers.
Shortly after filing the suit, however, the claimant issued an immediate clarification, urging the public to remain calm and emotionally stable.
“Don’t mind me,” he said. “Na joke I dey joke.”
He added that if the Ooni of Ife—Olórí Adé Gbogbo, Àrólẹ̀ Odùduwà, Oba of the Source, custodian of Yoruba civilisation and spiritual anchor of the race—does not possess the authority to confer chieftaincy titles, then the logical question becomes: who does? Certainly not social-media historians, armchair traditionalists, or emergency experts of WhatsApp lineage.
The release concludes by affirming that His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, by divine ordination, spiritual mandate, historical continuity, and monarchical authority conferred by ancient heritage, remains the sole custodian of the authority, seal, stamp, and legitimacy required to install kings, presidents, and heads of state as Sons of Odùduwà—within and beyond Nigeria.
If the Ooni so desires, let him install the King of the United Kingdom as he installed the President of Ghana. History will record it. Tradition will seal it. Reason will accept it. His wisdom in this jurisdiction is unquestionable.
Case closed.
Court adjourned.
C’est fini.
Long live the Ooni of today.
His Imperial Majesty
Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi
Ojaja II
You lead; others follow.
The Pathfinder.
Far, far ahead.
The Numero Uno.
Long may you live.
…ati Ojo ti reluwe ti nrin
Eku iwaju lo nki Ile…beeni
