ILE-IFE — The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has refused to bow to the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, over a disputed Yoruba-wide chieftaincy title.
In a statement posted on Facebook Tuesday, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, revealed that the monarch had instructed him not to dignify the ultimatum with an official response.
“My Principal has directed me against issuing a Press Release on the Empty Threat of the Alawada Babasala. I beg to disappoint you, gentlemen of the press,” Olafare wrote.
He added that the matter was best left to public opinion: “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.”
Olafare further urged the Yoruba public to focus on unity rather than conflicts capable of sowing division.
“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 declared.
The development follows a warning issued on Monday by the Alaafin, who demanded that the Ooni revoke the Okanlomo of Yorubaland title recently conferred on Ibadan business mogul, Engineer Dotun Sanusi.
The Alaafin, through his media aide, Bode Durojaiye, described the Ooni’s action as an affront, arguing that the authority to bestow Yoruba-wide titles rests exclusively with the Alaafin of Oyo.
“The conferment of a Yoruba-wide chieftaincy title by the Ooni is not only ultra vires but an insult to the Titan of Yorubaland,” the Alaafin’s statement read.
He cited a Supreme Court ruling, insisting it affirmed that only the Alaafin holds such powers, and warned that failure by the Ooni to withdraw the title within 48 hours would attract consequences.
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