The palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has stated that the monarch will not respond to the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade, over the conferment of a Yoruba-wide chieftaincy title on Ibadan businessman, Engineer Dotun Sanusi.
In a statement posted on Tuesday, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, explained that Oba Ogunwusi had directed him to ignore the ultimatum, which demanded that the Ooni revoke the “Okanlomo of Yorubaland” title conferred on Sanusi.
According to Olafare, the Ooni would not “dignify the undignifyable” with an official reaction.
He added that the matter had already been left to public discourse.
“My principal has directed me against issuing a press release on the empty threat. We cannot dignify the ‘undignifyable’ with an official response. Let us rather focus on narratives that unite us rather than those capable of dividing us,” Olafare wrote.
On Monday, the Alaafin had, through his media aide, Bode Durojaiye, described the Ooni’s action as an “affront” and a direct challenge to his authority.
He insisted that only the Alaafin of Oyo holds the traditional power to confer Yoruba-wide titles.
“The conferment of a Yoruba-wide chieftaincy title by the Ooni is not only ultra vires but also an insult to the throne of Yorubaland,” the Alaafin’s statement read, warning that “consequences will follow” if the title is not withdrawn.
He also cited a Supreme Court ruling which, according to him, affirmed the exclusive right of the Alaafin to bestow titles that cover the entire Yorubaland.
The development has drawn attention to a long history of tension between the two revered thrones. In 1991, a similar controversy arose when the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, faulted the late Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, for conferring the title of “Akinrogun of Yorubaland” on Chief Tom Ikimi, then National Chairman of the National Republican Convention.
Observers fear that the renewed dispute may deepen divisions within the Yoruba traditional council if not carefully managed.
