By Abiola Olawale
A brewing clash between two of Yorubaland’s most revered monarchs, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has sparked intervention from Yoruba elders, as tensions escalate.
The dispute, which centered on the conferment of the Okanlomo of Yorubaland chieftaincy title, has reignited, what many regard as a historic rivalry, raising concerns about its impact on Yoruba heritage and leadership.
Meanwhile, as the feud escalates, prominent Yoruba leaders have moved to restore calm.
The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has announced that he is consulting with regional leaders to mediate.
He said the intervention of cultural and political leaders alike is being sought to quell the lingering crisis.
Adams said: “It is an issue between two fathers. I have been calling Yoruba leaders to look for a way to resolve it. We don’t want the unity of the Yoruba land to be tampered with now.
“I will be in touch with the two fathers. I will talk to them, but I have talked to some of the Yoruba leaders that we should weigh in on the issue. Before I became Aare Onakakanfo, I had been very, very close to the palace of Ooni. At the same time, I was very close to the late Alaafin.”
Also, the Yoruba Council of Elders has called for calm between the royal fathers to avert further action contrary to the Omoluabi ethos.
Secretary-General, YCE, Oladipo Oyewole also tasked the governments of Osun and Oyo States to urgently intervene to prevent aberration by the two monarchs.
Oyewole said: “The Yoruba Council of Elders has been inundated with inquiries on the unfortunate incident in which our royal father, Kabiyesi Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo are in a serious disagreement over the rites of their offices and/or responsibilities as torch bearers for our culture.
“History has to be understood to sort out the issue in a proper perspective. Pending when that will be done, there is no gainsaying that any action that goes beyond the ‘Omoluwabi ethos’ must be avoided by the royal fathers.
“In this case, the governments of both Osun and Oyo states ought to swiftly come to the aid of our motherland by putting measures in place to contain any aberration by the royal fathers. This is an urgent situation.”
Similarly, the International Council for Ifa Religion, on Wednesday, called on both the Alaafin of Oyo and the Ooni of Ife to let go of their grievances for the sake of unity.
The council made this known in a statement by its President, Fayemi Fakaye.
The statement reads in part: “As we mark this year’s Ìsẹ̀ṣe festival, we extend our warmest felicitations to our revered traditional rulers. May they be endowed with robust health and longevity.
“We express our deepest gratitude to those monarchs who have remained unwavering custodians of our cultural traditions and respectfully advise those who have embraced foreign cultures to reconnect with their heritage.
“Let me, on behalf of ICIR, call on both Oba Ogunwusi and Oba Owoade to sheath their swords over the ongoing seniority contest between the duo. We are also pleading for harmony, which we believe would fast-track development in the Yoruba kingdom.”
The New Diplomat reports that the feud erupted on Monday, August 18, 2025, when the Alaafin issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni, demanding the revocation of the Okanlomo of Yorubaland title conferred on an Ibadan-based businessman, Engineer Dotun Sanusi, during the unveiling of the 2geda social media platform at Ilaji Hotel, Ibadan.
However, the Ooni’s palace, through its spokesperson Moses Olafare, dismissed the ultimatum as “empty” and declined to engage, stating, “We cannot dignify the undignifiable,” leaving the matter to public debate.
The New Diplomat reports that this clash is not an isolated incident but part of a long-standing historic rivalry between the Oyo and Ife thrones.
Yoruba folklore which regards Ile-Ife as the cradle of Yoruba civilization, with the Ooni as the spiritual head, noted that the Monarch descended from Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba people.
On its part, history records the Alaafin’s authority as all-embracing, stemming from the political and military conquests and dominance of the historic and great Oyo Empire of old.
Recall that similar disputes have flared in the past. In 1991, the late Alaafin Oba Lamidi Adeyemi objected to the late Ooni Oba Okunade Sijuwade conferring a Yoruba-wide title on politician Chief Tom Ikimi, calling it a “desecration.”
