The Spokesperson for the Ooni of Ife, Moses Olafare, has explained why the monarch, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, will not respond to the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, over a recent chieftaincy title conferment.
Olafare, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, revealed that the Ooni had directed him to ignore the threat, describing it as “undignifyable” and unworthy of an official response.
He wrote:
“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 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. 48 hours my foot!”
The statement followed Alaafin Owoade’s reaction to the Ooni’s conferment of the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on Ibadan business mogul, Engineer Dotun Sanusi.
In a statement signed on Monday by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin described the Ooni’s action as an “affront” and a direct challenge to his authority. He insisted that only the Alaafin holds the exclusive right to bestow Yoruba-wide titles.
“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.
“The Supreme Court itself has ruled that only the Alaafin has such authority. Yet, the Ooni continues to act above the law, trampling on both tradition and the courts. If the title is not withdrawn within 48 hours, consequences will follow.”
The current dispute mirrors a similar episode in 1991, when the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, protested against the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, for conferring the title of Akinrogun of Yorubaland on the National Chairman of the National Republican Convention, Chief Tom Ikimi. At the time, Oba Adeyemi condemned the act as a desecration of the sacred institution.
ADEOLA KUNLE
