Calls for Calm as Ooni–Alaafin Rift Over Chieftaincy Title Deepens

Prominent Yoruba elders and cultural leaders have stepped in to calm rising tensions between the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, following a fresh dispute that erupted over the conferment of a chieftaincy title.

The row began after the Alaafin faulted the Ooni’s decision to honour businessman Chief Dotun Sanusi with the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland during the unveiling of 2geda, an indigenous social media and business platform, in Ibadan over the weekend. Through his media aide, Bode Durojaiye, the Alaafin insisted that no other traditional ruler has the authority to bestow a title covering all of Yorubaland, giving the Ooni a 48-hour ultimatum to revoke it or “face the consequences.”

In a swift reaction, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, dismissed the ultimatum as baseless. “We cannot dignify the undignifiable with an official response. We leave the matter to the court of public opinion. Forty-eight hours, my foot!” he wrote.

The exchange is the latest in a series of public spats between the two foremost monarchs, including viral moments at national events where both men appeared to openly snub each other.

Expressing concern, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, said he has begun consultations with Yoruba leaders to mediate. “This is an issue between two fathers. We don’t want the unity of Yorubaland tampered with. I will talk to them both and also engage other Yoruba leaders. Our old wounds must not be reopened in public” he said.

The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) also appealed for restraint, warning that the altercation risked eroding the Omoluabi ethos. Its Secretary-General, Oladipo Oyewole, urged the Osun and Oyo State governments to step in, stressing the need for cultural and historical clarity in resolving the matter.

Renowned Ifa scholar, Prof. Wande Abimbola, also weighed in, urging calm while disclosing plans for a meeting of Yoruba monarchs and elders across the six Yoruba-speaking states to deliberate on a lasting resolution. “Our obas are fathers to us all; they must not be seen quarrelling” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ibadan Mogajis, representing family heads in the city, condemned the Alaafin’s ultimatum as “irrational and divisive,” vowing to resist any perceived attack on Sanusi, whom they described as a respected son of Ibadan.

Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, on its part, reaffirmed the Ooni’s supremacy as spiritual head of the Yoruba nation, tracing his authority to ancestral and historical legitimacy from Ile-Ife. Supporting the position, lawyer Pelumi Olajengbesi argued that no court judgment or law grants the Alaafin exclusive authority over pan-Yoruba titles.

As the dispute deepens, Yoruba voices across political, cultural and religious spectrums continue to call for calm, fearing that the rift, if unchecked, could damage the unity of one of Nigeria’s most influential ethnic groups.