Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, were recently the subject of public speculation following the Alaafin’s visit to Osun State without stopping at the Ooni’s palace.
The development raised questions about a possible rift between the two highly respected Yoruba monarchs.
However, aides from the Alaafin’s palace have now addressed the matter, saying the decision not to visit the Ooni was based on reliable information that the Ife monarch was not in the country at the time.
Kolade Oladele, Personal Assistant to Oba Owoade, said the Alaafin had planned to make the Ooni his first stop during the Osun trip. But when his team contacted the Ooni’s palace, they were informed that Oba Ogunwusi was unavailable.
“We didn’t ignore the Ooni during the visit. We reached out to the palace but were told that Ooni wasn’t around,” Oladele said. “Ooni’s palace was the first point of call in our initial itinerary, but we had to visit the Oluwo first because of the development.”
The Alaafin’s visit to the Oluwo of Iwo sparked public reaction, especially after the Oluwo made a bold statement that “Alaafin was superior to all other traditional rulers and titles in Yorubaland.” This led to talks of supremacy battles between the traditional thrones, a long-standing topic among royal followers.
Oladele, however, noted that there is no conflict between the Alaafin and the Ooni. He described the Alaafin as a peace-loving leader who wants the best for the Yoruba people. “I always tell people that there is no rift between Alaafin and the Ooni. Baba (Alaafin) doesn’t have time to begrudge anybody,” he said.
He also added that Oba Owoade plans to return to Osun soon to pay courtesy visits to both Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Ooni.
Adding to the palace aide’s remarks, the Olowu of Kuta, Oba Adekunle Oyelude, also confirmed the Alaafin’s original intention to see the Ooni first. “I was privy to the arrangement. Alaafin truly wanted to visit Ooni, but Baba was not at home,” he said.
In contrast, the Ooni’s Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, shared a different version. He said no official notice of the visit was received.
“We were not notified that Alaafin was coming to visit Ooni. Nobody contacted us either through letter or phone call before Baba travelled out of the country,” Olafare explained.
He said the only information they got came from a security source who received a call asking about the Ooni’s availability. By then, Oba Ogunwusi had already travelled out.
