On power, its limits, & the cost of misreading the moment.
Power is one of the most misunderstood concepts in public life, especially in societies where history, culture, & nostalgia often blur present-day realities.
To situate this conversation properly, we must 1st be intellectually honest: there is only one holder of absolute, raw power, God Almighty. Every other form of power known to man is merely delegated authority, & delegated authority is defined, structured, layered, & limited.
Understanding those limits is not optional. It is the difference between longevity & collision. God has the absolute because He can’t make a mistake, so He can’t go overboard!
In the present scenario involving Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State & the Alaafin of Oyo, sentiment must give way to structure, & mythology must yield to law.
2 forms of authority are in play, but they are not equals.
On one side stands the constitutionally constituted authority of the State. The Governor’s power is neither symbolic nor emotional; it is legal, enforceable, & binding on all residents of the state without exception. He derives his authority from the Nigerian Constitution & the collective mandate of the people of Oyo State.
This is authority with teeth.
Removing a sitting Governor is a grave constitutional undertaking, involving strict procedures through the House of Assembly. It is not whimsical, nor is it ceremonial.
On the other side stands traditional authority, rooted in history, preserved by culture, & sustained by reverence. Once upon a time, this authority was near absolute. Kings ruled territories, commanded armies, imposed levies, & determined life & death.
But time happened.
Colonialism happened.
Modern governance happened.
The Constitution happened.
What remains today is ceremonial authority, deeply respected, culturally significant, but legally subordinate. It is authority sustained by consent & courtesy, not coercion or law.
Between the Governor of Oyo State & the Alaafin of Oyo, there is no confusion as to where real power resides. The Governor possesses the capacity, lawfully & constitutionally, to depose a monarch if circumstances so warrant. History has shown this clearly, from Kano to other parts of the federation.
And when such actions occur, the heavens do not fall.
The Alaafin must therefore appreciate a fundamental truth: the empire over which his predecessors exercised absolute dominion no longer exists, except in folklore (alo o alo), memory, & ceremonial reenactment. Today’s Oyo Kingdom exists within Oyo State, not above it.
In the current constitutional hierarchy, even a local government chairman, by virtue of being an elected office holder, outranks a traditional ruler. This is not a value judgment; it is a legal reality.
Respect accorded to monarchs is voluntary, cultural, & discretionary. It is given out of reverence, not compulsion. Courtesy extended should never be mistaken for supremacy assumed.
It must also be stated clearly: the Alaafin ascended the throne through the instrumentality of the Governor. His installation was not mystical; it was procedural. And with that installation comes guidelines, codes, & expectations, all designed to preserve peace & prevent conduct capable of destabilising the state.
Against this backdrop, Governor Makinde’s public statement that he had discussions with the Alaafin, Olubadan, & Soun was deliberately institutional, not personal. He referenced titles, not individuals.
Logically, such discussions could have occurred with previous occupants of those stools, some of whom reigned during the Governor’s first term & passed on only recently.
A measured, patient, & statesmanlike response would have been to seek clarification through established channels, not to issue public communications that could be construed as confrontational.
There are outcomes that dialogue secures which confrontation can never deliver.
Publicly contradicting one’s appointing authority, particularly when clarification was easily obtainable, can reasonably be interpreted as an open challenge. And in power dynamics, perception often matters as much as intent.
This concern deepens when viewed against the backdrop of recent supremacy skirmishes involving one of the monarchs mentioned, shortly before the Governor’s controversial remarks. When controversy repeatedly gravitates toward a single figure, prudence demands restraint, not escalation.
At such moments, wisdom lies in de-escalation.
The question now is simple: will maturity step in to douse the embers, or will pride fan them into an inferno?
Time will answer.
But one thing is already clear: between the 2 actors, the one with the most to lose is the monarch. The Governor is already on the downward slope of his tenure. He has fewer political calculations to make & greater latitude to act decisively.
As the Yoruba would say:
Kabiyesi, kpele kpele o (softly softly oooo) …
Yet, in this instance, the true Ìkú Bàbá Yèyé, the wielder of undeniable authority, is not the one crowned by tradition.
It is the one empowered by the Constitution.
There is the crown of ceremony.
And there is the weight of authority.
Wisdom lies in knowing the difference.
It is well.
