A quiet but bruising war is raging between the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over alleged dethronement plots.
Oluwo, in a statement on Friday night, alleged that Oba Ogunwusi was seeking his downfall despite playing a prominent role in his emergence as the Ooni of Ife.
He stated that the link he used for Oba Ogunwusi would have been used for his elder brother, Tunji Adeyeye, who was his friend and peer at Akobo, Ibadan at a tender age.
Oluwo recalled how he arranged several meetings in Ibadan after one Akin Daodu, then a close ally of Oba Ogunwusi, begged for his intervention.
He said: “To my surprise, the same person I helped to the throne has been planning evil against me.
“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.
“He attacked me last month in the presence of the governor, that I am discouraging deity worship.
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“He was one of those who used my former wife against me.
“He wants me to be removed as Oluwo by all means. Such is a dream that can never come true.
“No one can remove me as Oluwo. No one can kill me and no one can bring me down.
“He should keep trying. He will be the one to live to regret. His cohorts that tried it in the past failed.”
However, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi, speaking through his Director of Media, Otunba Moses Olafare, denied the allegations raised by Oluwo.
He said: “Oba Adeyeye has been ordained as a king from heaven, regardless of who does what. He is a king with God on his side.
“When Oluwo wanted to be king, Ooni supported him with cash and other logistics that we can’t even mention here.
“At the last Council of Oba meeting, Ooni only jokingly told Oluwo that he should not condemn any monarch for worshipping deities but should allow anyone to practice anything they feel is good for them.”
The Nation
