Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, has responded following a 48-hour threat by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, to reverse the chieftancy title conferred on a popular Ibadan-based business mogul, Dotun Sanusi.
DAILY GIST recalls that the Alaafin described the Ooni’s action as an affront to Yoruba tradition and a violation of established authority.
He insisted that only the Alaafin reserves the exclusive right to bestow titles that cover the entire Yorubaland.
Oba Owoade demanded the revocation of the title on Sanusi within 48 hours, accusing Ooni of overstepping his boundary.
He criticized the Ooni of Ife for taking the peace and unity initiative of the Alaafin for granted by taking decisions that are not only ultra vires, but derogatory to the Titan of Yorubaland.
However, Ooni who spoke via his spokesman, Moses Olafare, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, stated that Oba Ogunwusi had particularly directed him to ignore the revered Oyo monarch.
According to him, the Ooni will not dignify what he described as “undignifyable” with an official response, stressing that he had left the matter to be handled in the public court of opinion.
“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 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 the ones capable of dividing us. No press release please (sic) 48 hours my foot!!!” he wrote.
While some historians and cultural leaders recognise the Alaafin’s political supremacy, others argue that the Ooni of Ife, regarded as the spiritual leader of the Yoruba, and the Alaafin of Oyo should be seen as complementary authorities rather than rivals.
The latest confrontation has once again revived the age-long question of traditional supremacy between the two revered monarchs, raising concerns about its implications for unity and peace in Yorubaland.
