Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, the Oluwo of Iwo, has raised an alarm that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, is plotting his downfall despite the role he played in helping him ascend the throne.
Oluwo made the strong allegation in a video in which he revealed he worked behind the scenes to influence Oba Ogunwusi’s ascension to the Ooni throne in 2015, at a time when the stool was slipping away from him.
Oluwo's Press Secretary, Ibrahim Alli, established the video's veracity, confirming it was from a Ramadan lecture in Iwo last Wednesday.
The traditional ruler of Iwo in Osun State, however, claimed that despite his past show of goodwill toward Oba Ogunwusi, the Ooni is now orchestrating his downfall by planning his removal as the Oluwo.
Oluwo also claimed that Oba Ogunwusi was behind his suspension from the Osun State Council of Obas a few years back.
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Speaking further in the video, Oluwo claimed he helped Oba Ogunwusi settle a court case that would have impeded his appointment and installation as the Ooni.
Providing specific details about how he helped the Ooni, the Oluwo explained that his ally, Akin Daodu, connected him to Oba Ogunwusi at a time when he would have supported the Ooni’s elder brother, Tunji Ogunwusi.
He noted that he didn’t eventually support Tunji Ogunwusi because the older Ogunwusi underrated him.
He recounted, “In 2015, I got a call from Akin Daodu, a close ally of the then Prince Adeyeye Ogunwusi, now Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi. He told me Prince Adeyeye was on the phone, that he needed to talk and seek my help regarding his aspiration to the throne of Ooni of Ife.
"I knew him then, but I was closer to his brother, Tunji Ogunwusi, who was my peer. Tunji Ogunwusi, popularly called Dodo, and I were about eight years older than the Ooni.
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“As a friend and peer, I had earlier called Tunji Ogunwusi to help him ascend the throne, but he underrated me and refused to take me seriously.
“We discussed, and he (Prince Adeyeye Ogunwusi at the time) disclosed that almost all the stakeholders, including Governor Aregbesola, had agreed to his appointment, but there was a court case instituted by a few aggrieved individuals against him. He said his primary concern was the litigation. I asked him if that was all, and he said yes. I told him he was already a king.
“In his presence, I called the person in charge and told them what I wanted. The case was decided on Friday, and Adeyeye became Ooni on Saturday. This was before my own enthronement. I was not selfish. I secured his own before mine. And a few months later, God used the same link for me to become the Oluwo of Iwoland.”
Lamenting the alleged plot against him by Oba Adeyeye, Oluwo said, “To my surprise, the same person I helped ascend the throne has been planning evil against me. He orchestrated my suspension from the Osun State Council of Obas meeting.
“He is using a few kings in Iwoland to destabilise my territory. He attacked me last month in the presence of the governor, saying that I am discouraging idol worship. He was part of those who used my former wife against me.
“He wants me to be removed as Oluwo by all means. Such a dream can never come true. No one can remove me as Oluwo. No one can kill me, and no one can bring me down, except if I didn’t help him become the Ooni.”
Oba Ogunwusi’s camp has since downplayed Oluwo's claims, saying they were not worth the King’s response as “it was not the first time Oba Akanbi would be making such a statement.”
Speaking on behalf of Oba Ogunwusi, the Director of Media at Ooni’s palace, Chief Moses Olafare, said that even though Oluwo can say whatever he likes, he will still not get a response from Ooni.
He said, “This is not the first time Baba Oluwo will make comments like that. We never reacted, and we won’t react. Let him say whatever he wants. That is what he is busy doing. Everybody has something they are busy with.
“That is what Baba Oluwo is busy doing. Ooni is busy with developmental projects, so he is occupied and doesn’t have time to respond to someone looking for attention. We don’t have time for that. Whatever Baba Oluwo likes, let him say. We are not interested.”
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