Brief History Of Alaafin Ọba Adeniran Adeyẹmi II

Before Alaafin Adeyẹmi II ascended the throne of his ancestors in 1945, his father, Ọba Adeyemi I Alowolodu, had reigned from 1876 to 1905.

Adeyemi II sat on the royal seat from 1945 until he was unceremoniously dethroned in July 1954. This was as a result of the NCNC crisis and his fallout with the deputy leader of the Action Group Party, Chief Bode Thomas.

Chief Bode Thomas was said to have been rude to the Alaafin at an Oyo Divisional Council meeting because the Alaafin did not stand up in reverence to him (he was the chairman of the council while the Alaafin was a member, but this was in itself an aberration – as the Balogun of Oyo).

Oba Adeyemi II Adeniran, insulted, stood and then told Bode Thomas to go home and bark like a dog.

Later, he started coughing blood and died while walking back home leaving his entourage.

Shortly, Herbert Macaulay heard of the catastrophe, and along with Obafemi Awolowo accused Oba Adeyemi II of poisoning Thomas, and then exiled him from his kingdom.

He lived out the rest of his days in Lagos where his subjects still visited him until his death in the early 1960s.