…an incumbent king must have no living father

The Olugbo of Ugbo, Oba Obateru Akinruntan, has told the Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi that he did not meet the requirement of a Yoruba king.

Oba Akinruntan and Oba Ogunwusi are enmeshed in a supremacy battle over which throne is the monarchical seat of power in Yorubaland and the origin of Oduduwa.

In a thinly veiled attack on Oba Ogunwusi’s family background, Oba Akinruntan said in a statement issued by the Olugbo-in-Council, “We ask that the Ooni should confirm his ancestral roots. It is also of importance to note that in the ancient custom of Yoruba, an incumbent king must have no living father. Also, no man from a female lineage of a ruling house is qualified to sit on the throne.”

Oba Ogunwusi’s father, Pa Aderopo Ogunwusi is alive. In an interview after his son emerged Ooni-designate, the retired On-Air-Personality with the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC) said, ‘There is no cause for alarm. Even though the Yoruba culture forbids that father should prostrate for his son, the position of an Ooni is a powerful one that he must be adored, respected by all and sundry.

“Whenever occasions arise that I prostrate for him, I will gladly do so the way other young and old will prostrate for him. It is his office and tradition that we are respecting and we will continue to do so.’’

 

Via Orijo Reporters