![]() ![]() He achieved this status by his sheer longevity (he outlived his main rival, Okunade Sijuwade, the Ooni of Ife), and by adroit political manoeuvring, safeguarded his position as chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs (defying a civilian governor of Oyo State who tried to unseat him in 2011 for not supporting his re-election). By the time of his death, he was recognised as the most senior of Yoruba traditional rulers in a vast region in which almost every town has its own oba, or king. As occupant of a seat that had survived for centuries into the modern republic of Nigeria, he wielded great influence as an authoritative representative of the interests and culture of the Yoruba people.Īdeyemi held the position of Alaafin of Oyo for 51 years, longer than any of his predecessors. ![]() ![]() Lamidi Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo, who has died aged 83, was the traditional ruler of the ancient Oyo kingdom in Nigeria. ![]()
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