The simmering tension between two of Yorubaland’s most powerful monarchs deepened on Tuesday after the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, refused to respond to a 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade.
The Alaafin had ordered the Ooni to revoke the recently conferred Okanlomo of Yorubaland chieftaincy title bestowed on Ibadan-based business mogul, Engineer Dotun Sanusi. The Oyo monarch described the move as an “affront” and a direct challenge to his authority, insisting that only the Alaafin has the power to grant Yoruba-wide titles.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Bode Durojaiye, Oba Owoade declared that the Supreme Court had long ruled in his favour, stressing that the Ooni’s decision amounted to a disregard for both tradition and the law.
He warned that “consequences will follow” if the title is not withdrawn within 48 hours.
But in a swift reaction, the Ooni’s spokesman, Moses Olafare, revealed that his principal had instructed him to ignore the ultimatum completely.
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Taking to Facebook, Olafare dismissed the Alaafin’s order as an “empty threat” that did not deserve an official response.
He wrote:
“My principal has directed me against issuing a press release on the empty threat. We cannot dignify the undignifiable with an official response. This matter is already being judged in the public court of opinion. Let’s focus on narratives that unite us rather than those capable of dividing us. No press release, please. 48 hours my foot!”
This latest development recalls a similar episode in 1991 when the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, clashed with the late Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, over the controversial conferment of the “Akinrogun of Yorubaland” title on Chief Tom Ikimi, then National Chairman of the National Republican Convention.
At that time, Oba Adeyemi had accused the Ooni of desecrating Yoruba tradition by arrogating powers that belonged solely to the Alaafin.
The renewed face-off between the two stools has once again raised concerns about unity within the Yoruba traditional institution, with many observers urging restraint and dialogue to prevent a repeat of history.
