Yoruba Elders Step In as Alaafin–Ooni Feud Intensifies

Prominent Yoruba elders and leaders have called for calm and urgent mediation following renewed hostilities between the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi.

The latest dispute erupted on Monday after the Alaafin condemned the Ooni’s decision to confer the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on businessman Chief Dotun Sanusi. The title was bestowed during the unveiling of 2geda, an indigenous social media and business networking platform, at Ilaji Hotel in Ibadan over the weekend.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin insisted that no monarch other than himself holds the authority to confer a title covering the entirety of Yorubaland. He issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the Ooni to revoke the title or “face the consequences.”

Responding, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, dismissed the threat, saying the monarch had directed him to “ignore the undignifyable” and leave the matter “to the court of public opinion.”

> “Let’s focus on narratives that unite us rather than those capable of dividing us. 48 hours my foot!” Olafare wrote.

This fresh quarrel adds to a string of recent public spats between the two monarchs. In May, a viral video from an event hosted by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu showed the Alaafin refusing to rise while other monarchs stood to greet the Ooni. Another video in June captured both rulers pointedly avoiding greetings at the West African Economic Summit in Abuja.

Although both palaces have repeatedly denied any rift, the recurring incidents have fueled speculation and concern.