Ooni of Ife Dismisses Alaafin of Oyo’s 48-Hour Ultimatum as “Empty Threats of a Dead Empire”

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has brushed aside claims of a supremacy battle with the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, PulseNets has learnt.

The monarch’s camp reacted after the Alaafin reportedly gave Ooni 48 hours to withdraw the Okanlomo of Yorubaland Chieftaincy title conferred on Ibadan-based businessman, Chief Dotun Sanusi.

PulseNets learnt that the Alaafin of Oyo had declared Ooni’s decision to bestow such a title as an “affront” to his authority and to the traditional Yoruba institution.

However, Ooni’s spokesman, Moses Olafare, downplayed the controversy. He told PulseNets that the Ife monarch would not be dragged into what he described as needless power games.

Posting on his verified social media page, Olafare wrote:

“The Ooni is busy setting up businesses and creating jobs for youths across Yorubaland, they are busy fighting supremacy that does not exist. Dead empire.

Their 48-hour ultimatum will soon lapse. We are waiting. Dead Empire. Ooni plans for the groundbreaking and launching of the Ojaja smart city in Ibadan, the biggest in Africa, someone is somewhere busy issuing 48 hours empty threats.

Where does this king (Ooni) have time for supremacy hullabaloo? Issuing 48-hour ultimatum over a Chieftaincy title that doesn’t even exist.”

Also Read: Oba of Benin suspends six chiefs over allegiance to Ooni of Ife

From PulseNets checks, the Ojaja Smart City project in Ibadan is one of Ooni Ogunwusi’s landmark initiatives, projected to be the largest in Africa. His camp insisted that while the Ooni is creating economic opportunities, the Alaafin is engaging in “empty threats” rooted in what they termed “a dead empire.”

This latest exchange has once again stirred debate within Yoruba traditional politics. Observers who spoke to PulseNets argued that the clash highlights not just historical rivalries but also the evolving relevance of monarchs in a modern socio-economic context.