A FRESH wave of royal controversy has emerged in Osun State as the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, has accused the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, of orchestrating efforts to remove him from the throne.
The Explainer gathered that the Oluwo made the claims in a strongly worded statement, alleging that despite playing a significant role in the emergence of Oba Ogunwusi as the Ooni of Ife in 2015, the revered Ife monarch has been working against him.
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The Oluwo did not mince words in his statement, asserting that his involvement was instrumental in the ascension of Oba Ogunwusi to the throne.
“God used me to play a vital role in the installation of Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi as the Ooni of Ife, but to my surprise, the same person I helped to the throne has been planning evil against me,” the Oluwo alleged.
The Explainer gathered that the monarch recounted events leading to the Ooni’s coronation, revealing that he received a call in 2015 from Akin Daodu, a close associate of then Prince Ogunwusi, requesting his assistance in resolving a court litigation that was delaying his enthronement.
“In 2015, I got a call from Akin Daodu, who told me that Prince Adeyeye Ogunwusi needed to talk and seek my help on his aspiration to the throne. I travelled to Base Hotel in Ibadan to meet him, where he disclosed that almost all the stakeholders, including the governor, had agreed to his ascension, but a court case was standing in the way. I told him that was not an issue. Right in his presence, I made a call, and by Friday, the case was resolved. By Saturday, he became the Ooni of Ife,” the Oluwo recounted.
Despite these past efforts, the Iwo monarch claimed that Ooni Ogunwusi had since turned against him, leading to his controversial suspension from the Osun State Council of Obas.
“He orchestrated my suspension from the Osun State Council of Obas meeting against the AIG who was a star witness to what transpired. He is using a few kings in Iwoland to destabilise my territory,” the Oluwo alleged.
The Explainer gathered that tensions between the two monarchs escalated further during a recent meeting of traditional rulers in Osun State, where the Oluwo alleged that the Ooni publicly criticised him before Governor Ademola Adeleke.
“He attacked me last month in the presence of the governor, accusing me of discouraging deity worship. He was part of those who used my former wife against me. He should keep trying to remove me. He will be the one to live to regret it,” he added.
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However, in response to the allegations, the Director of Media and Public Affairs to the Ooni of Ife, Otunba Moses Olafare, dismissed the claims as baseless and misleading.
“Oba Adeyeye has been ordained as a king from heaven, regardless of who does what. He is a king with God on his side,” Olafare stated.
The Explainer gathered that the Ooni’s camp countered the Oluwo’s claims, insisting that the Ife monarch had, in fact, provided financial and logistical support for the Oluwo’s own enthronement.
“When Oluwo wanted to be the king, Ooni supported him with cash and other logistics that we can’t even mention here,” Olafare revealed.
On the issue of the Oluwo’s suspension from the Osun State Council of Obas, Olafare maintained that it was a consequence of the Iwo monarch’s actions rather than any interference from the Ooni.
“The Ooni could not have plotted his suspension. It was his recklessness that led to that. He fought and harassed a fellow monarch in public, and a committee set up by the council recommended his suspension. The Ooni does not embarrass anyone, either publicly or privately,” he added.
The friction between these two prominent monarchs is not unprecedented. In 2020, the Osun State Traditional Rulers Council suspended Oba Akanbi for six months due to alleged misconduct, a decision that was reportedly influenced by senior traditional figures, including the Ooni.
More recently, in October 2024, Oba Ogunwusi recounted an incident where he felt disrespected during a visit to Oba Akanbi’s palace. He claimed that he was “chased out like a kid,” leading to further strain in their relationship.
