Ooni of Ife Shrugs Off Alaafin’s 48-Hour Ultimatum—Palace Just Not Bothered

By: Olalekan Abudu
Story:
So, there’s drama in the royal circle again. You know how these things go. The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, is fuming. He gave the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, just 48 hours—yes, two days—to take back a chieftaincy title he handed to Dotun Sanusi, a big name in Ibadan business. The title? Okanlomo of Yorubaland. Sounds grand, right?
But here’s the twist. The Ooni’s camp? They’re not even blinking. Moses Olafare, who speaks for the Ooni, just hopped on Facebook and basically said, “Nah, we’re not doing this.” He said the Ooni told him straight up—don’t bother replying. Not worth it. “We can’t dignify the undignifyable,” Olafare wrote. That’s a word, apparently. He even told journalists, “Sorry, no press release. 48 hours my foot!” Ouch.
Meanwhile, the Alaafin is not backing down. He called the Ooni’s move an “affront.” Even dragged in the Supreme Court and tradition, saying only he, the Alaafin, can give out titles that cover all of Yorubaland. He’s not joking. He warned of “consequences” if the Ooni doesn’t backtrack.
But the Ooni? He’s just letting the public talk. No official statement. No drama. Just silence. Maybe he’s seen this movie before. Actually, he has. Back in 1991, something like this happened. The late Alaafin and late Ooni clashed over a chieftaincy title too. History repeating itself, maybe?
Anyway, for now, the Ooni’s palace is just not bothered. They say let’s focus on what brings us together, not what tears us apart. But you know how these royal stories go. Everyone’s watching.