The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, has revealed that the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, once chased him out of his palace during a visit.
This was made known by the Ooni in a viral TikTok video on Sunday.
Speaking about the incident, the Ooni said, “When I visited Oluwo, he chased me out like a child. Since then, I have been careful about going close to him. Now, you people (attendees) are asking me to visit him again, but what if he treats me the same way?”
The Ooni of Ife, a highly respected monarch in Osun State, hinted at maintaining a respectful distance from the Oluwo due to the past incident but showed grace, saying, “I have to contain his excesses as an elder, although I am a young person sitting on the throne of the elders. Oluwo, I greet you.”
While there was no mention of an ongoing feud between the two prominent monarchs, sources suggest that Oluwo has been displeased with the Ooni’s relationship with traditionalists, whom he refers to as “idol worshippers.”
In another video, Oluwo openly criticized traditional practices in Iwo, urging residents to avoid them. “My role as a monarch is to stand for God and speak about Him alone. I don’t support idol worship or any Ogun festival,” the Oluwo said. He added that anyone indulging in such practices should do so privately, as public sacrifices would not be tolerated in Iwo.
Oluwo further clarified the religious history of Iwo, stating in a Facebook post that since the 1800s, Islam has been the dominant religion in the town. He explained that Oba Memudu Ayinla Lamuye, a former Oluwo, helped spread Islam and converted most of the Iwo people to the religion.
This is not the first public disagreement between the two monarchs. In 2018, Oluwo accused the Ooni’s bodyguard of pushing him during an event in Port Harcourt. However, the Ooni’s palace denied the claim, calling it untrue.
