The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, has dismissed claims of a dispute between himself and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.
Speculation arose on social media following Oba Owoade’s recent visit to the Oluwo of Iwo, with many interpreting the move as a slight against the Ooni.
These rumors gained momentum after the Oluwo publicly asserted that the Alaafin holds supremacy over all traditional rulers in Yorubaland—a remark that further fueled talk of a rift between the two revered monarchs.
In a viral video making the rounds, the Alaafin addressed the controversy, stressing that there is no conflict between him and the Ooni.
According to him, a visit to the Ooni was initially part of his planned itinerary but had to be rescheduled.
“It is not something you hide. Before we made all preparations for this journey, one of the kings I intended to visit was the Ooni of Ife.
“I informed my PA and Chief of Staff earlier to know when we would visit him, and his PAs were also contacted before we were informed he went to Kazakhstan.
“People who do not know about this are the ones spreading rumours on the internet. I have no rift with the Ooni. There was even a time I was with the Soun (of Ogbomoso), and we both spoke with the Ooni on the phone,” the monarch said.
He urged the public to disregard the insinuations, describing them as baseless and fuelled by mischief makers.
