Dare Babalola
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has reacted to the threat by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade demanding that the Osun monarch retract a chieftaincy title he conferred earlier.
Recall that Oba Owoade on Monday told the Ooni to reverse the “Okanlomo of Yorubaland” title conferred on a popular Ibadan-based business mogul, Dotun Sanusi.
In a post made on Facebook, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, said his principal will not dignify the Alaafin with a response.
“My Principal has directed me against issuing a press release on the empty threat. I beg to disappoint you, gentlemen of the press.
“We cannot dignify the ‘undignifyable’ with an official response. We leave the matter to be handled in the public court of opinion, as it is already being treated.
“Let’s rather focus on narratives that unite us rather than the ones capable of dividing us. No press release please (sic) 48 hours my foot!!!” he wrote.
This recent clash emphasises a long-standing rivalry between the two prominent Yoruba monarchs over supremacy and traditional jurisdiction.
Oba Abimbola Owoade ascended the throne as the 46th Alaafin of Oyo in January 2025, and his reign has been marked by renewed claims to the exclusive right to confer titles with a pan-Yoruba scope.
The Alaafin’s statement also referenced a Supreme Court ruling and the Ooni’s instrument of office, which he claimed limits the Ooni’s traditional authority to the Ife region.
