48-hour ultimatum: Why Ooni will not bow to Alaafin’s threats

A fresh royal storm is brewing in Yorubaland as the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, lock horns over the controversial chieftaincy title conferred on Ibadan billionaire, Dotun Sanusi.

Reacting to this, the Ooni’s palace has declared that it will not bow to the Alaafin’s 48-hour ultimatum, dismissing it as nothing more than “empty threats.”

Moses Olafare, the Ooni’s spokesperson, made the revelation on Tuesday in a Facebook post that has since set Yoruba traditional circles ablaze.

“My Principal has directed me against issuing a Press Release on the Empty Threat of the Alawada Babasala. We cannot dignify the undignifyable with an official response. 48 Hours My Foot!!!” Olafare wrote.

The Alaafin had earlier fumed that the Ooni’s conferment of a Yoruba-wide title was an “affront” and a direct challenge to his authority, warning that consequences would follow if the Ooni failed to withdraw the honour.

But the Ooni’s camp has chosen silence.

Instead of engaging, the palace insists the matter should be left in the “public court of opinion,” suggesting that the Alaafin’s outburst has already exposed itself to ridicule.

Observers say the clash is not just about titles but about supremacy, which reflects a continuation of age-old rivalries between the thrones of Ife and Oyo.

The Alaafin maintains he alone has the exclusive right to confer Yoruba-wide titles, citing even a Supreme Court ruling. He described the Ooni’s action as “ultra vires” and “a desecration of tradition.”

This is not the first time the Yoruba monarchy has been rocked by such disputes. Back in 1991, the late Alaafin, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, accused the late Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuade, of the same offence when he conferred the “Akinrogun of Yorubaland” title on politician Tom Ikimi.