‘Comedy, Empty’ – Ooni Of Ife Snubs Alaafin’s Ultimatum Over ‘Yorubaland’ Chieftaincy Title

Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has refused to respond to the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, over the controversial ‘Okanlomo of Yorubaland’ chieftaincy title he recently conferred on Ibadan-based businessman, Engineer Dotun Sanusi, aka Ilaji.

Speaking on Tuesday through his spokesperson, Moses Olafare, the Ooni dismissed the threat as “empty” and unworthy of an official response.

In a Facebook post, Olafare disclosed that Oba Ogunwusi personally directed him to ignore the Alaafin’s warning, insisting that the matter had already been subjected to the “court of public opinion.”

Olafare described the Alaafin as a “comedian”, likening him to the late popular comedian, Moses Olaiya, better known by his stage name ‘Baba Sala’.

“My Principal has directed me against issuing a Press Release on the Empty Threat of the Alawada Babasala,” he said.

“I beg to disappoint you gentlemen of the press. We cannot dignify the undignifyable with an official response. We leave the matter to be handled in the public court of opinion has 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 pls. 48 Hours My Foot!!!”

The Alaafin had on Monday described the Ooni’s action as an “affront” and a direct challenge to his authority after the conferment of the “Okanlomo of Yorubaland” title on Sanusi.

In a statement signed by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the Oyo monarch declared that only the Alaafin holds the exclusive right to bestow Yoruba-wide titles, citing a Supreme Court ruling as precedent.

“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 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,” the statement read.

The Alaafin warned that failure by the Ooni to withdraw the title within 48 hours would attract “consequences.”

This is not the first time both stools have clashed over chieftaincy matters. In 1991, the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, accused the then Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuade, of desecrating tradition after he conferred the “Akinrogun of Yorubaland” title on Chief Tom Ikimi, then National Chairman of the National Republican Convention.