The palace of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, has explained why the monarch did not visit the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, during a recent trip to Osun State.

According to the Alaafin’s camp, the monarch had planned to pay homage to the Ooni as the first stop on his itinerary but was informed that Oba Ogunwusi was not in the country.

Kolade Oladele, personal assistant to the Alaafin, told newsmen that the protocol officer from the Alaafin’s palace reached out ahead of the visit, but was told the Ooni 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 eventual visit to the Oluwo on Tuesday generated speculation of a rift between the Alaafin and the Ooni. The tension was heightened by the Oluwo’s subsequent remarks, in which he described the Alaafin as superior to all other traditional rulers in Yorubaland.

The remark came amid long-standing rivalry and claims of supremacy between the traditional institutions in Oyo and Ife.

But Oladele dismissed suggestions of a feud, saying the Alaafin remains focused on promoting unity among the Yoruba.

“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,” he said.

Oladele added that the monarch would soon pay a courtesy visit to Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and to the Ooni.

Similarly, the Olowu of Kuta, Oba Adekunle Oyelude, said he was aware of the Alaafin’s intention to visit the Ooni before proceeding to the Oluwo.

“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,” Oyelude said.

However, the Ooni’s palace offered a different version of events.

Moses Olafare, Director of Media and Public Affairs at the palace, said there was no formal communication from the Alaafin’s team prior to the trip.

“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,” Olafare said.