Williams Kayode
A fresh rift has erupted within Yorubaland’s royal hierarchy after the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, refused to respond to a 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade, over the conferment of a chieftaincy title on Ibadan business mogul, Engineer Dotun Sanusi.
The Alaafin, in a strongly worded statement on Monday, had described the Ooni’s action as an “affront” and a “direct challenge” to his authority, insisting that only the Alaafin reserves the power to bestow Yoruba-wide titles. He warned that if the title was not withdrawn within two days, “consequences will follow.”
But the Ooni’s palace swiftly made clear it would not dignify the threat with an official response. In a Facebook post, the monarch’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, revealed that Oba Ogunwusi had personally directed him to ignore what he dismissed as “empty threats.”
“We cannot dignify the ‘undignifyable’ with an official response. We leave the matter to be handled in the public court of opinion,” Olafare wrote, adding: “Let’s rather focus on narratives that unite us rather than the ones capable of dividing us. No press release please. 48 hours, my foot!”
The Alaafin’s media office had earlier claimed that the Ooni’s conferment of the Okanlomo of Yorubaland title on Sanusi was both “ultra vires” and a violation of Yoruba tradition. According to the statement signed by the Alaafin’s spokesperson, Bode Durojaiye, the Supreme Court had previously ruled that only the Alaafin possesses the authority to bestow chieftaincy titles covering the entire Yoruba nation.
“The conferment of a Yoruba-wide chieftaincy title by the Ooni is not only ultra vires but an insult to the throne of Yorubaland,” the statement read. The palace further accused the Ooni of repeatedly trampling on both “tradition and the courts.”
This is not the first time the Ooni and Alaafin stools have clashed over Yoruba-wide titles. In 1991, the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, protested when the then Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, conferred the “Akinrogun of Yorubaland” title on National Republican Convention chairman, Chief Tom Ikimi. The Alaafin at the time described the act as a desecration of a sacred institution.
Analysts say the current confrontation mirrors that historical rivalry, underscoring the deep-rooted tussle over cultural supremacy between the two ancient thrones. While the Alaafin insists he alone can grant pan-Yoruba honours, the Ooni appears determined to sidestep direct confrontation, choosing instead to let public opinion weigh the matter.
For many observers, the dispute risks inflaming divisions at a time when Yoruba leaders are under pressure to present a united front on national issues. Yet, with both monarchs holding firm to their positions, the possibility of a renewed royal showdown looms large.