A council of traditional rulers in Ife North LGA of Osun has given Abdulrasheed Akanbi, the Oluwo of Iwo, a 21-day ultimatum to retract his allegations against Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife.
The conflict erupted on Tuesday when Akanbi publicly accused the Ooni of a grave conspiracy.
The Oluwo claimed that Ogunwusi had “set him up” with a woman he had been married to for three years. He further alleged that the Ooni collaborated with his former wife to poison him and orchestrate his assassination on multiple occasions.
Akanbi claimed that during his marriage, his then-wife was in constant communication with the Ooni, plotting his elimination.
He said after he sent her away, OOgunwusi allegedly secured an apartment for her and later met with her in a hotel. The Oluwo promised to provide evidence soon to support the claims.
Reacting on Thursday, the council of rulers condemned Oluwo’s allegations. In a letter signed by Adesoji Oladepo, the Salu of Edunabon, the rulers described Akanbi’s comments as “an insult and disrespect to the Ooni of Ife”.
The council expressed deep concern that Oluwo’s actions were bringing the entire institution of Yoruba traditional rulership into “disrepute and ridicule”. They noted with particular dismay that Akanbi, being a descendant of Luwo Gbagida, the 24th Ooni of Ife, would “behave irrationally” towards the current Ooni.
To substantiate his claims, the council challenged the Oluwo to formally petition Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police and present his evidence of the alleged criminal conspiracy.
The traditional rulers issued a clear ultimatum: Akanbi must either retract his allegations or formally petition the police within 21 days. Failure to do either would result in legal action being taken against him.
The council also referenced Oluwo’s controversial past, reminding him of his previous six-month suspension from the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers for allegedly assaulting another monarch, the Agbowu of Ogbaagba.
The letter was issued with the consensus of other prominent rulers in the council, including Mufutau Oyekanmi, the Alasipa of Asipa; Meshach Oyediran, the Olulamokun of Yakooyo; and OluwaBusola Oloyede, the Alakinlalu of Akinlalu.
