The palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has stated that the monarch will not respond to the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, over the recent conferment of a chieftaincy title on Ibadan business magnate, Engineer Dotun Sanusi.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, said Oba Ogunwusi had specifically directed him not to release any formal statement on the matter. According to him, the Ooni considered the ultimatum an “empty threat” that did not merit an official response.
“My principal has directed me against issuing a press release on the empty threat. We cannot dignify the undignifyable with a response. We leave the matter to the public court of opinion where it is already being treated,” Olafare wrote.
“Let’s focus on narratives that unite us rather than those capable of dividing us. No press release, please. Forty-eight hours, my foot!”
The controversy erupted after the Ooni conferred the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on Dotun Sanusi, a move which the Alaafin of Oyo described as an affront and a challenge to his authority.
In a statement issued on Monday by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin insisted that only he reserves the traditional right to bestow Yoruba-wide chieftaincy titles. He argued that the Ooni’s action was “ultra vires” and amounted to a violation of both tradition and judicial rulings.
“The conferment of a Yoruba-wide chieftaincy title by the Ooni is not only illegal but an insult to the throne of Yorubaland. The Supreme Court itself has ruled that only the Alaafin possesses such authority. Yet, the Ooni continues to act above the law,” the statement read.
The Alaafin further warned that if the Ooni fails to revoke the title within 48 hours, “consequences will follow.”
This dispute echoes a similar clash in 1991 when the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, protested against the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, for conferring the title of Akinrogun of Yorubaland on politician Chief Tom Ikimi, describing it as a desecration of Yoruba tradition.
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