The Spokesperson to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Moses Olafare, has said the monarch will not respond to the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, over the recent chieftaincy title conferred on Ibadan business mogul, Engr. Dotun Sanusi.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Olafare revealed that the Ooni specifically instructed him to ignore the ultimatum, stressing that the matter would be left for public opinion.
“My principal has directed me against issuing a press release on the empty threat. 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 divide us. No press release, please. 48 hours my foot!” he wrote.
The Alaafin of Oyo had earlier described the Ooni’s action as an “affront,” claiming that only his office holds the exclusive right to bestow Yoruba-wide titles. He warned that failure to revoke the title within 48 hours would attract consequences.
He further argued that the Supreme Court had affirmed his exclusive authority in such matters, accusing the Ooni of acting “above the law” and “trampling on tradition.”
This latest clash recalls a similar controversy in 1991 when the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, strongly opposed the then Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuade, for conferring a Yorubaland-wide title on politician Chief Tom Ikimi, describing it as an abuse of royal traditions.
