…as Alaafin of Oyo accuses the Ooni of overstepping his bounds.
OYO, NIGERIA – The iNews Times | A fresh wave of royal controversy has swept across Yorubaland as the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, issued a stern 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, demanding the immediate revocation of a chieftaincy title recently proposed for businessman Dotun Sanusi.
The title in question – Okanlomo of Yorubaland – was announced by the Ooni, but the Alaafin of Oyo has denounced the move as “a violation of tradition” and “an affront to established authority.”
In a strongly worded statement signed by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin of Oyo accused the Ooni of overstepping his bounds, asserting that only the Alaafin holds the legal and historical right to confer titles that apply to the entire Yorubaland.
“The conferment of a chieftaincy title that pertains to Yorubaland by the Ooni of Ife is not only an affront to the revered institution of the Alaafin but also contrary to law and tradition,” the statement declared.
The monarch warned that unless the Ooni retracts the planned conferment within 48 hours, consequences would follow although he did not elaborate on the specific nature of such consequences.
To bolster his claim, the Alaafin of Oyo cited both legal precedent and historical treaties. He referenced a past Supreme Court judgment that affirmed the Alaafin’s exclusive authority over Yoruba-wide titles. He also pointed to the 1888 treaty signed by Alaafin Adeyemi I and the British Crown, which recognised the Alaafin as the paramount leader of the Yoruba, and the 1917 Political Memoranda issued by Lord Lugard, which described the Alaafin as “Head of Yoruba Kings.”
Recalling a similar incident in 1991, the Alaafin noted that the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, had attempted to confer a Yoruba-wide title Akinrogun of Yorubaland on Chief Tom Ikimi. That action, the statement said, was later nullified following intervention by the Alaafin and the Oyo State Government.
“This is not the first time an Ooni has attempted to disregard the established order,” the Alaafin’s office stated. “History, tradition, and the law are on the side of the Alaafin as the custodian of Yoruba-wide titles.”
As tension brews between two of Yorubaland’s most revered traditional institutions, observers warn that the ongoing dispute could have far-reaching implications for the unity and hierarchical balance among Yoruba monarchs.
The Ooni of Ife has yet to respond publicly to the ultimatum as of press time.
