‘I Didn’t Abuse Alaafin During My Visitation To Ooni’ – Sunday Igboho
Yoruba nation agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has denied reports that he disrespected the Alaafin of Oyo during his Saturday’s visit to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
In a viral video that surfaced on Saturday night, Igboho explained that his remarks at the Ooni’s palace were misinterpreted, stressing that he could never insult the Alaafin, whom he described as a foremost monarch in Yorubaland and a father figure to him.
“My father, the Olugbon, called me and said the Alaafin felt I insulted him when I visited the Ooni. I want to make it clear that I never abused the Alaafin. I can’t and I won’t. The Alaafin is not a small monarch in Yorubaland. I am from Oyo, and the Alaafin is my father,” Igboho said in the footage.
According to him, the confusion arose when drummers and praise-singers at the Ooni’s palace began chanting his family’s oríkì (heritage praises), to which he responded by adding his own.
He insisted that his words were purely cultural expressions and not directed as an insult at any monarch.
“When I visited the Ooni, the drummers and singers praised me with my family heritage. I only added to it. I said Ooni is a father of peace. I was surprised when he still welcomed me warmly, celebrated me and prayed for me despite all that had happened before. That was what I was emphasising. I didn’t insult the Alaafin,” he clarified.
Igboho further recalled that during his previous visit to the Alaafin’s palace, he had also hailed himself with his family’s praises, which, according to him, was a tradition in his lineage.
“I can’t abuse Alaafin. I am his son. Even when I visited him, I greeted myself with the same oríkì. That is how we do in our family compound. If my words were misunderstood, I ask for forgiveness. I never meant to insult the Alaafin,” he added.
The activist maintained that peace among Yoruba monarchs remained his utmost priority, reiterating that he would never deliberately make disparaging remarks about any traditional ruler.
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
