Alaafin of Oyo Gives Ooni of Ife 48-Hour Ultimatum Over Chieftaincy Title

OYO STATE – A major rift has opened between two of Yorubaland's most prominent monarchs after the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, demanding the immediate revocation of a chieftaincy title.

The title in question, "Okanlomo of Yorubaland," was recently conferred on businessman Dotun Sanusi. In a strongly worded statement, the Alaafin accused the Ooni of overstepping his traditional authority.

A Challenge to Traditional Authority

In the statement, signed by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin declared the Ooni's action an "affront" to his institution. He asserted that the exclusive right to confer titles covering the entire Yorubaland belongs solely to the Alaafin

Oba Owoade cited a Supreme Court judgment which, he claims, affirmed his sole prerogative in such matters. He argued that the Ooni's instrument of office restricts his traditional jurisdiction to the Oranmiyan Local Government area and its subdivisions, making the conferment of a pan-Yoruba title "unlawful, derogatory, and a challenge to the authority of the Supreme Court."

The statement read, "The Ooni of Ife is behaving as if there is no authority to check and call him to order... he is in the habit of walking on everybody's back including the apex court in the country."

The Alaafin warned that the failure to revoke the title within the stipulated time would lead to "dire consequences," emphasizing that his efforts at maintaining peace should not be mistaken for weakness.