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Cites Supreme Court Decision
- Safiu Kehinde
Tension has again risen as Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, ordered the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to revoke the chieftaincy title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland conferred on prominent Ibadan businessman, Dotun Sanusi.
The two prominent Yoruba monarchs’ battle for supremacy resurfaced again as the Alaafin, in a statement signed by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, faulted the Ooni’s action which was described as an affront on the Oyo monarch’s authority.
Durojaiye held that only the Alaafin has the exclusive right to bestow titles that cover the entire Yorubaland.
He accused the Ooni of disregarding a Supreme Court ruling which had affirmed the Alaafin’s exclusive powers in such matters.
The Alaafin spokesperson noted that the Ooni’s instrument of office limits his authority to Oranmiyan Local Government, now split into Ife Central, Ife North and Ife South.
He directed the Ooni to revoke the title within 48 hours or face consequences.
The statement read in part; “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.