The traditional supremacy tussle between two foremost Yoruba monarchs has deepened, as the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has openly ignored the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade.
The Ooni’s media aide, Moses Olafare, in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, dismissed the ultimatum as “an empty threat of the Alawada Babasala.”
Also, he stressed that the Ife monarch would not dignify the warning with an official response, instead leaving it to the “public court of opinion.”
Olafare quoted the Ooni as directing him to focus on matters that unite rather than divide, adding pointedly: “48 hours, my foot!”
The clash stems from the Ooni’s conferment of the Okanlomo of Yorubaland title on prominent businessman, Dotun Sanusi, a move the Alaafin has strongly opposed.
According to the Oyo monarch, only the Alaafin of Oyo holds the exclusive right to bestow pan-Yoruba titles.
Through a statement by his media aide, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin described the Ooni’s action as a disregard for his authority and warned of consequences if the title was not revoked.
People Also Read: Alaafin Of Oyo Gives Ooni 48 Hours To Revoke Yoruba-wide Chieftaincy Title
He further argued that the Ooni’s traditional authority does not extend beyond Ife jurisdictions, Ife Central, Ife North, and Ife South.
