A fresh supremacy tussle has erupted in Yorubaland following a 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over a controversial chieftaincy title.
Barely 24 hours after the Ooni conferred the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on Ibadan-based businessman, Engineer Dotun Sanusi, popularly known as Ilaji, the Alaafin described the action as “illegal, void, and an affront” to his authority.
In a statement on Monday signed by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin accused the Ooni of overstepping his traditional boundaries and disregarding a Supreme Court ruling which, according to him, affirms that only the Alaafin has the prerogative to confer titles covering the entirety of Yorubaland.
“The conferment of chieftaincy titles which border on Yorubaland by the Ooni of Ife is not only an affront to the revered institution of the Alaafin, who is the Titan of Yorubaland, but it also goes against the authority of the Supreme Court,” the statement read.
Oba Owoade argued that the Ooni’s instrument of office restricts his jurisdiction to Oranmiyan Local Government—now subdivided into Ife Central, Ife North, and Ife South—making the title granted to Sanusi null and void.
Warning of “dire consequences” if the directive is ignored, the Alaafin insisted that his call for peace should not be mistaken for weakness.
“The dictum that nobody is above the law of the land is now being put to a crucial test. The Ooni of Ife must revoke the so-called Okanlomo of Yorubaland chieftaincy title conferred on Engineer Dotun Sanusi within 48 hours or face the consequences,” he declared.
The development has reignited debates over the centuries-old rivalry between the two monarchs’ stools. While the Ooni of Ife is revered as the cultural custodian and spiritual leader of the Yoruba people, the Alaafin of Oyo has historically been regarded as the political and military authority over Yorubaland.
Historians note that from the colonial era, the Alaafin’s influence extended across Yoruba territories, while the Ooni’s authority remained largely spiritual, rooted in Ife’s significance as the cradle of the Yoruba race.
As of press time, the Ooni of Ife has yet to respond to the ultimatum.
