Traditional rulers in Origbo, under the Ife North Local Government Area of Osun State, have issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, demanding the retraction of his recent allegations against the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.
At a press conference held on Thursday at the Palace of Salu Edunabon, the monarchs accused the Oluwo of gross misconduct, insults, and persistent disrespect to the revered throne of Oduduwa.
They described as defamatory and unbecoming the Oluwo’s recent claims in a viral video that the Ooni conspired with his former wife to poison him. According to the Origbo monarchs, such statements amount to criminal allegations capable of desecrating the integrity of traditional leadership in Yorubaland.
Recalling Oba Akanbi’s previous suspension from the Osun State Council of Obas in 2020 for allegedly assaulting the Agbowu of Ogbaagba during a peace meeting, the traditional rulers said his current outbursts were a continuation of a pattern of unruly conduct. That suspension, they noted, was ratified by the Ooni of Ife in his capacity as Chairman of the Council.
Reading the communiqué on behalf of the Obas, HRM Oba Adesoji Kehinde Oladepo, the Salu of Edunabon, Vice Chairman of the Osun State Council of Obas and Acting Chairman of the Ife North Chieftaincy Committee, said Oluwo must, within 21 days, write formally to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to substantiate his allegations or publicly retract them.
“Failure to do so will leave us with no choice but to institute legal action against him at the expiration of this ultimatum,” the statement read.
The communiqué, jointly signed by Oba Oladepo, HRM Oba Alhaji Mufutau Babawale Oyekanmi, the Alasipa of Asipa; HRM Oba Dr. Mesharch Oyewole Oyediran, the Olulamokun of Yakoyo; and HRM Oba Pastor Oluwabusola Oloyede, the Alakinlaalu of Akinlaalu, reaffirmed their loyalty to the Ooni of Ife. They emphasized that no act of provocation from the Oluwo would diminish the supremacy and sacredness of the Oduduwa stool.
The monarchs also condemned what they described as the Oluwo’s deliberate attempts to ridicule the traditional institution for personal attention.
In the controversial video that sparked the uproar, Oba Akanbi alleged that the Ooni orchestrated a plot against him by introducing a woman into his life who later became his wife. He claimed the woman, with whom he had a child, twice attempted to poison him under instructions from those conspiring with the Ooni.
According to the Oluwo, after discovering the alleged plot, he expelled the woman and her child from his palace, only for the Ooni to later provide accommodation for them.
“This fight cannot end, and no one can kill me,” Oba Akanbi declared in the video.
The Origbo Obas, however, warned that such unguarded statements were unacceptable and would be firmly resisted in defense of the dignity of Yoruba traditional leadership.