Real reason Alaafin didn’t visit Ooni during Osun trip – Aides

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, did not pay a courtesy call on the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, during his recent visit to Osun State due to the Ooni being out of the country, according to the monarch’s aides.

Speaking on the issue, Alaafin’s Personal Assistant, Kolade Oladele, clarified that the original plan was to visit the Ooni first. However, they were informed ahead of time 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. 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,” Oladele said.

Oba Owoade’s stop at the palace of the Oluwo of Iwo on Tuesday stirred speculation about a possible rift between him and the Ooni. The tension escalated when the Oluwo publicly stated that the Alaafin held supremacy over all other traditional rulers in Yorubaland.

Sources indicate that the Oluwo and the Ooni have had ongoing disagreements, and the latest comments were interpreted by many as part of the power tussle between the camps of the two revered monarchs.

However, Oladele insisted there is no bad blood between the Alaafin and the Ooni, stressing that Oba Owoade remains committed to unity among Yoruba leaders.

“I always tell people that there is no rift between Alaafin and the Ooni. Baba (Alaafin) doesn’t have time to begrudge anybody. What is paramount to him is the unity and development of the Yoruba race, and he is committed to achieving that.

“We didn’t visit Ooni the other time because Alaafin’s protocol officer, who reached out to Ooni’s palace, was told that Baba wasn’t around. I want to tell you that we will pay an appreciation visit to Ooni and Governor Ademola Adeleke very soon. Alaafin isn’t fighting anybody,” he added.

Supporting this, the Olowu of Kuta, Oba Adekunle Oyelude, confirmed that the Alaafin had planned to call on the Ooni before heading to Iwo.

“I was privy to the arrangement. Alaafin truly wanted to visit Ooni, but Baba was not at home. Alaafin didn’t ignore Ooni at all. The two traditional rulers will work together for the progress and unity of the Yoruba,” the monarch said.

However, the Ooni’s palace offered a slightly different account. The Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, said there was no official word from the Alaafin’s camp prior to the visit.

“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.

“What we got was from one of our security operatives, who informed us that somebody called him from the Alaafin’s palace to ask if Baba was around, and he told the person that we were not around. Everybody knew we were not around. There was no notification or any form of communication suggesting that Alaafin was coming to visit Ooni before we left the country,” Olafare stated.

Despite the conflicting accounts, both palaces maintain that there is no animosity between the traditional leaders, who remain central figures in the cultural and spiritual leadership of the Yoruba people.

(PUNCH)