A fresh rift has emerged between two foremost Yoruba monarchs as the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, has given the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, a 48-hour ultimatum to revoke the chieftaincy title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland recently conferred on businessman Dotun Sanusi, popularly known as Ilaji.
In a strongly worded statement signed by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin described the Ooni’s action as “an affront” to his authority, insisting that only the Alaafin holds the exclusive right to bestow titles that cover the entire Yorubaland.
Oba Owoade accused the Ooni of exceeding his traditional jurisdiction and disregarding a Supreme Court ruling which, he claimed, affirmed the Alaafin’s sole prerogative in matters concerning chieftaincy titles of pan-Yoruba significance.
Jurisdictional Dispute
The Alaafin maintained that the conferment of titles affecting all of Yorubaland is his exclusive preserve. According to him, the Ooni’s instrument of office limits his authority to the old Oranmiyan Local Government—now divided into Ife Central, Ife North, and Ife South—rendering the conferment on Sanusi “null and void.”
He stressed that the Ooni’s action was unlawful, derogatory, and amounted to undermining the authority of the Supreme Court.
“The Ooni of Ife is behaving as if there is no authority to check and call him to order,” the Alaafin said. “Because of that ‘above the law’ syndrome of his, he is in the habit of walking on everybody’s back, including the apex court in the country, the Supreme Court.”
Ultimatum and Warning
The Alaafin warned that if the title is not revoked within 48 hours, the Ooni would face “dire consequences,” cautioning that his peace efforts 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,” he declared. “The reality of our time makes it very obligatory for the Alaafin to call the Ooni of Ife to order and demand revocation of the so-called Okanlomo of Yorubaland chieftaincy title conferred on Engineer Dotun Sanusi within 48 hours or face the consequences.”
The development has heightened tensions within the Yoruba traditional council, with observers watching closely to see how the Ooni of Ife will respond to the ultimatum.
