Ile- lfe, Nigeria–The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, will not issue a formal response to the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, demanding the withdrawal of a chieftaincy title recently conferred on prominent Ibadan businessman, Engineer Dotun Sanusi.
This position was disclosed by the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, in a Facebook post on Tuesday. According to Olafare, the monarch has deliberately chosen not to engage in what he termed an “undignified” exchange, instead opting to leave the matter to public discourse.
“My principal has directed me against issuing a press release on the empty threat,” Olafare wrote. “We cannot dignify the undignifiable with an official response. We leave the matter to be handled in the public court of opinion, as it is already being treated.”
He further urged the media and public to focus on narratives that foster unity rather than division, 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 comment comes in the wake of a strongly worded statement released by the Alaafin of Oyo on Monday, in which he accused the Ooni of committing an “affront” by conferring a Yoruba-wide chieftaincy title, Okanlomo of Yorubaland, on Sanusi.
The Alaafin, through his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, argued that the title infringes upon his exclusive authority over Yoruba-wide honors, citing legal and traditional precedence. “The conferment of a Yoruba-wide chieftaincy title by the Ooni is not only ultra vires but an insult to the Titan of Yorubaland,” the statement read.
He further referenced a Supreme Court ruling, which he claimed affirms the Alaafin’s sole jurisdiction over titles with pan-Yoruba significance, accusing the Ooni of undermining both legal and traditional frameworks.
“If the Ooni fails to revoke the title within 48 hours, consequences will follow,” the statement warned.
The ongoing dispute draws parallels to a similar confrontation in 1991, when the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, challenged the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, over the conferment of the Akinrogun of Yorubaland title on Chief Tom Ikimi, then Chairman of the National Republican Convention.
At the time, Oba Adeyemi described the move as a desecration of the revered Yoruba traditional system and urged the state government to intervene. That incident, like the current one, highlighted enduring rivalries over traditional authority among some of the most prominent Yoruba royal institutions.
As the matter gains traction in public discourse, observers are watching closely to see whether the current disagreement will escalate or be resolved through quiet diplomacy among the region’s revered traditional leaders.
By Taiwo Olatinwo/ August 19,2025
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