The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, has denied rumours claiming he solicited the sum of N20million from the Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, to marry a princess from the Kano Emirate.

WuzupNigeria reported earlier that the monarch had in a letter dated February 8, 2022, allegedly requested the money to marry a yet-to-be-identified princess who is from the Ado Bayero dynasty.

This publication recalls that the monarch had in 2019 divorced his estranged wife, Chanel Chin, with whom he shares a son named Oduduwa.

What was said in the letter?

“I wish to remind your Excellency that the kind of royal wedding within two notable traditional institutions in Nigeria will require huge expenses, which necessitate the support of state government financially even logistically.

“Moreover, the estimated amount for the event is above N20,000,000. His Excellency, Oba Akanbi relies on you for necessary consideration and approval on this request,” it read partly.

Read the full letter here!

What did the palace say?

However, in an interview with The PUNCH, a palace source on Friday debunked the report, claiming that the correspondence that has since gone viral never emanated from the palace.

He said, “We didn’t author any letter. The front of the letter[letterhead] you saw is not the one we use for letters by Oluwo. Moreso, if Baba will write government, it will carry his signature,” the monarch’s Press Secretary, Alli Ibraheem, said.

Is the Oluwo truly getting married?

Meanwhile, the BBC, in a publication on Friday reported that the Oluwo confirmed that he is indeed getting married.

Although the monarch said his soon-to-be queen will be from Kano, he refused to confirm if she was a “Princess from the Ado Bayero dynasty”.

The publication also added that he did not disclose the “date of the wedding ceremony” but vowed to make it public in due time.