By Tunde Olamilekan
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has dismissed the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, over the conferment of the chieftaincy title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on businessman, Engineer Dotun Sanusi (Ilaji).
It would be recalled thatOba Owoade said conferment of chieftaincy title, which pertains to the entirety of Yorubaland by the Ooni of Ife was not only an affront to the referred institution of the Alaafin, “who is the Titan of Yorubaland and who holds exclusive right to confer any chieftaincy title which covers the entire Yorubaland on anyone.”
In a statement on Monday by his media aide, Bode Durojaye, Alaafin, said, “The Ooni of Ife is behaving as if there is no authority to check and call him to order and 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, which had ruled on the Exclusive preserve of the Alaafin to confer chieftaincy title that covers the entire Yorubaland.”
Reacting, the spokesperson to Ooni of Ife, Otunba Moses Olafare, in a post on his official Facebook page, said his principal had directed him not to dignify what he described as “an empty threat” with a formal press release.
“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; we cannot dignify the undignifyable (sic) with an official response,” he said.
Olafare stressed that the matter was already being subjected to the court of public opinion, adding that the Ooni’s palace would not be distracted from its focus on peace and unity.
“We leave the matter to be handled in the public court of opinion, as it is already being treated. Let us rather focus on narratives that unite us, rather than the ones capable of dividing us,” he said.
The Ooni’s aide also brushed aside the ultimatum issued by the Alaafin, saying, “48 hours my foot!”
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