By Ayomide Otitoju
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, has declined to respond to a 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, over the conferment of a chieftaincy title on Ibadan businessman, Dotun Sanusi.
In a statement posted on Tuesday, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, said the monarch had directed him not to engage in a public exchange with the Alaafin.
“My principal has directed me against issuing a press release on the empty threat of the Alawada Babasala. We cannot dignify the undignifyable with an official response. We leave the matter to be handled in the public court of opinion,” Olafare wrote. He added that focus should instead be placed on “narratives that unite us rather than the ones capable of dividing us.”
On Monday, the Alaafin, through his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, demanded that the Ooni revoke the title of “Okanlomo of Yorubaland” conferred on Sanusi, describing the move as an affront to the traditional institution.
According to the Alaafin, the authority to bestow titles covering the entire Yorubaland rests exclusively with his throne, a position he said had been upheld by the Supreme Court. He accused the Ooni of acting “as if there is no authority to check and call him to order,” insisting that the conferment must be reversed within 48 hours or face unspecified consequences.
Durojaiye further stated that the Ooni’s traditional jurisdiction was limited to Ife and its environs, arguing that any attempt to extend such authority across Yorubaland was unlawful.
The dispute has reignited longstanding tensions over traditional authority and the conferment of pan-Yoruba titles.
