Ooni Of Ife, Alaafin brawl: Prophecy fulfilled?
From left: Ooni of Ife, Ayodele, Alaafin of Oyo
The brawl between the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over the Okanlomo of Yorubaland title conferred on a businessman, Dotun Sanusi, has pushed to the frontline prophecy of Elijah Prophet Ayodele.
Oba Abimbola Owoade on Monday blasted the Ooni for arrogating to himself the prerogative of conferring a Yoruba wide title on an individual, which according to the Oba, ought to be the decision of all Yoruba traditional rulers. He thus demanded that the Ooni reverse the conferment of the title in 48 hours ultimatum.
In a statement by Bode Durojaiye, Director of Media and Publicity, the Alaafin said that the Ooni overstepped his authority and his action is an affront to his office and a disregard for tradition and the law.
In the strongly worded statement, he cited a Supreme Court ruling that states that only the Alaafin has the exclusive right to confer on any individual a chieftaincy title that covers the entire Yorubaland.
At first, many thought it was a rumour till mainstream media started publishing the reaction of the Alaafin, who threatened consequences on the Ooni of Ife if he failed to withdraw the title within 48 hours.
In the statement credited to him, he took the Ooni to the cleaners for acting like someone who has unlimited powers , noting that he has no right to confer a Yorubaland title on anyone and that only the Alaafin has that stretch across Yorubaland.
His words; “The attention of the Alaafin of Oyo and the Titan of Yorubaland, Oba Engineer Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has been drawn to the purported conferment of the chieftaincy title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on a business tycoon, Dotun Sanusi, by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
“The Ooni of Ife is behaving as if there is no authority to check and call him to order. 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 any chieftaincy title that covers the entire Yorubaland.”
This has raised concerns among observers in the media, as many expressed shock over the development.
The Okanlomo title is typically conferred by traditional rulers on esteemed individuals within their domains. For instance, there are titles like Okanlomo of Offa, Okanlomo of Lagos, Okanlomo of Ijebu-Imushin.
However, the Ooni of Ife’s recent conferment of the Okanlomo of Yorubaland title on Dotun Sanusi has sparked controversy, as it implies a Yoruba-wide significance that many said exceeded the Ooni’s jurisdiction.
However, the squabble was foretold by Primate Elijah Ayodele, who earlier warned after Alaafin emerged as Oba that there was going to be crisis between the two most revered kings in Yoruba land.
Primate Ayodele stated then that there was an imminent fight coming between them. He had advised them to avoid the fight by all means in another video.
He made it known that he personally didn’t want them to fight, but warned that people would come in between them.
“Well, I don’t want Ooni and Alaafin to fight, but I am seeing that people will come in between them and cause them to fight. The fight between Ooni and Alaafin is imminent; that’s the message of the Lord,” he said.
The prophet went further to beg both of them to allow a smooth relationship, noting that it would be beneficial for the entire Yoruba race.
He emphasised: “Alaafin and Ooni must work together; their closeness and relationship will make Yoruba Obas more recognized and powerful. Please, don’t let anyone come in between the two of you, don’t fight, I beg.”
Ostensibly, the current development has fulfilled the prophecy of Primate Ayodele.
