The rivalry between the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, resurfaced last week after the Alaafin issued an ultimatum over a recent chieftaincy conferment, reigniting the supremacy tussle between the two monarchs, Wale Igbintade writes
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he Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, stirred controversy last week when he issued the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, a 48-hour ultimatum to revoke the chieftaincy title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland recently conferred on the prominent businessman, Dotun Sanusi.
Barely 24 hours earlier, the Ooni had conferred the title on Sanusi, popularly known as “Ilaji.”
Traditionally, the Okanlomo title is granted by monarchs to distinguished individuals within their domains.
For instance, there are Okanlomo of Offa, Okanlomo of Lagos, and Okanlomo of Ijebu-Imushin.
But the one conferred on Sanusi is the Okanlomo of the entire Yoruba, which did not sit well with the Alaafin.
In a strongly worded statement, the Alaafin ordered the Ooni to reverse the conferment within 48 hours or face what he described as “grave consequences.”
According to Oba Owoade, the Supreme Court had recognised Alaafin as the only traditional ruler with the authority to bestow titles that carry the weight of “Yorubaland.”
In the statement signed by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, he stressed that the Ooni’s jurisdiction is limited to his traditional authority – the Ife axis – covering Ife Central, Ife North, and Ife South.
Alaafin further warned the Ooni not to mistake his calmness for weakness, and accused the Ooni of acting beyond his traditional jurisdiction.
He said: “The attention of the Alaafin of Oyo and the Titan of Yorubaland, Oba Engineer Abimbola Akeem Owoade 1, has been drawn to the purported conferment of chieftaincy title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on a business tycoon, Dotun Sanusi, by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
“The conferment of chieftaincy title, which bothers on Yorubaland by the Ooni of Ife is not only an affront to the referred institution of the Alaafin, who is the Titan of Yorubaland and on who hold exclusive right to confer any chieftaincy title which covers the entire Yorubaland on anyone.
“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 on anyone.
“The instrument of office presented to Oba Ogunwusi, during his installation, specifically limits his traditional area of authority to Oranmiyan Local Government which has now been split into three local governments, viz: Ife Central, Ife North and Ife South.
“The dictum that nobody is above the law of the land is now being put to a crucial test and 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.”
Alaafin noted that during his “unity tour to Yoruba monarchs, he reiterated his message that there could not be development without unity.”
“But it seems the Ooni of Ife is misconceiving the Alaafin, paramount with the heart of gold, and his peace initiative, as the symbol of his stimulity, hence taking decisions that are not only ultra vires, but derogatory to the titan of Yorubaland.”
In a swift reaction, the Ooni’s media aide, Moses Olafare, brushed off the threat, describing it as an “empty one” unworthy of an official response.
He said his principal had directed him against issuing a press release on the matter, insisting that the issue was already being handled in the public court of opinion.
“We cannot dignify the undignified with an official response,” Olafare wrote in a Facebook post. “Let’s rather focus on narratives that unite us rather than the ones capable of dividing us. No press release pls. 48 hours, my foot!!!”
Oba Ogunwusi has yet to personally respond, but the dismissal of Alaafin’s threat by his aide suggests the Ooni is not about to bow to the Alaafin’s authority.
The right to confer Yoruba-wide titles on individuals is a touchy issue that strained the relationship between the previous Ooni and Alaafin.
Sanusi is not the first person to be given a Yoruba-wide title by Ooni Ogunwusi. Last year, the king installed a businessman, Muraina Olashile Alexandra, as Agbakin Bashorun of Yorubaland and his wife, Esther Taiwo Murina, as Yeye Agbakin Bashorun. The Alaafin’s stool was vacant at the time.
However, his conferment of the Okanlomo of Yorubaland title on Sanusi has provoked the Alaafin.
After rumours had made the rounds that there was a frosty supremacy tussle between Oba Owoade and Oba Ogunwusi, the Alaafin had, in May, dispelled the rumours, saying that he holds the Ooni in high regard.
A statement signed by Durojaiye had stated that rumours of supremacy tussle between Alaafin and Ooni were an unhelpful exercise that distracts and detracts from the truly important issues to which sons and daughters of Yorubaland should devote their energy and focus.
The statement added that at a time when Yoruba people were facing socio-economic and security challenges, it was incumbent on the leaders, youths, traditional institutions, and citizens alike to rise above pettiness and prioritise the work of uplifting our communities.
“The Alaafin holds the Ooni of Ife – and all custodians of Yoruba heritage – in high regard and is deeply committed to working hand-in-hand with them to chart a new path of unity, justice, and sustainable development across our land.”
However, Alaafin’s ultimatum to the Ooni has lent credence to the rumours of supremacy tussle between them.
Historians and other analysts see the rivalry as reigniting an age-long debate over who holds greater supremacy between the Alaafin of Oyo and the Ooni of Ife.
While some argue that the Alaafin, as the historical military and political head of the Yoruba empire, retains superior authority, others maintain that the Ooni, as custodian of Yoruba culture and spiritual leadership, stands taller in relevance.
Many analysts have cited a similar feud between the monarchs’ predecessors, the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, during the conferment of Akinrogun of Yorubaland on the then National Chairman of the National Republican Convention (NRC), Chief Tom Ikimi, in March 1991.
The then Alaafin of Oyo had warned Ikimi against accepting the chieftaincy title from Oba Sijuwade.
He stated in a letter addressed to Ikimi that the title was spurious and lacked a historical foundation.
The late Alaafin maintained that the late Ooni had no historical, traditional, political and military power outside his domain to enable him confer chieftaincy titles with the tag of “Yorubaland”.
On his part, Oba Sijuwade threatened that he had the power to withdraw the crown from Oba Adeyemi’s head.
In his three-paragraph speech, Oba Sijuwade said, “The government of Oyo State may not know that the crown on the Alaafin of Oyo’s head which qualifies him to be a traditional ruler, was given to him by the Ooni of Ife and you may not know that I can withdraw his crown and he will become an ordinary citizen of this country by evoking the special power conferred on me at the temple of Oduduwa.”
But Oba Adeyemi, in return, dared Oba Sijuwade to carry out his threat within 48 hours, describing the Ooni’s threat as “blasphemy of the year,” and maintaining that “certainly 1,000 Oonis put together cannot dethrone the Alaafin.”
According to him, it was unthinkable that Oba Sijuwade equated himself with God by arrogating to himself authority that belongs to God.
Meanwhile, as the feud between the two revered monarchs escalates, prominent Yoruba leaders have weighed in.
The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has stated that he is consulting with regional leaders to mediate in order to resolve the feud.
Adams said: “It is an issue between two fathers. I have been calling Yoruba leaders to look for a way to resolve it. We don’t want the unity of the Yoruba land to be tampered with now.”
Also, the Yoruba Council of Elders has called for calm between the royal fathers to avert further action that is contrary to the Omoluabi ethos.
Secretary-General of YCE, Oladipo Oyewole also tasked the governments of Osun and Oyo states to urgently intervene to prevent aberration by the two monarchs
Similarly, the International Council for Ifa Religion (ICIR), has also called on both the Alaafin of Oyo and the Ooni of Ife to let go of their grievances for the sake of unity, according to a statement by its President, Fayemi Fakaye.
The statement reads in part: “Let me, on behalf of ICIR, call on both Oba Ogunwusi and Oba Owoade to sheath their swords over the ongoing seniority contest between the duo. We are also pleading for harmony, which we believe would fast-track development in the Yoruba kingdom.”
In the mean time, Oba Owoade has debunked engaging in any supremacy battle with any monarch in Yorubaland or elsewhere, describing himself as the veritable custodian of Yoruba culture and tradition. He added that he would never compromise tradition, culture and development of his people for a pot of porridge.
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