Otunba Moses Olafare, the spokesman of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has said that the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, does not deserve a reply to the 48-hour ultimatum he issued to his boss over the conferment of the chieftaincy title of the Okanlomo of Yorubaland on business magnate, Dotun Sanusi, popularly known as Ilaji.
The response of the spokesman to the Ooni of Ife to the position of the Alaafin of Oyo was contained in a post he made on his Facebook page on Monday.
Olafare said his principal had directed him not to dignify what he described as “an empty threat” with a formal press release.
He said: “My Principal has directed me against issuing a press release on the empty threat of the Alawada Babasala.
“I beg to disappoint you gentlemen of the press; we cannot dignify the undignifyable with an official response.”
Olafare stressed that the matter was already being subjected to the court of public opinion, adding that the Ooni’s palace would not be distracted from its focus on peace and unity.
He said: “We leave the matter to be handled in the public court of opinion, as it is already being treated.
“Let us rather focus on narratives that unite us, rather than the ones capable of dividing us.”
The Ooni’s aide also brushed aside the ultimatum issued by the Alaafin, saying: “48 hours my foot!”
This is coming after Alaafin had accused the Ooni of overstepping his bounds by bestowing a title covering the entire Yorubaland on Sanusi.
Oba Owoade argued that only the Alaafin holds the exclusive right to confer such honours.
However, in a social media post, Sanusi indicated that the title conferred is Okanlomo Oodua not Okanlomo of Yorubaland.
