There seems to be brewing tension in Osun State between the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji and Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, over the ranking of monarchs.
Oba Oyetunji has vowed to reclaim what he described as the rightful fourth-ranking position of his throne in Osun State’s traditional council.
Speaking during a lecture held to commemorate his 15th coronation anniversary at Osun State University, Osogbo, on Monday, the monarch had maintained that the Ataoja stool had historically occupied the position before it was displaced.
He recounted the loss of the seat occurred during the reign of his predecessor, Oba Iyiola Oyewale Matanmi III, who travelled abroad at a crucial time.
According to him, the Oluwo of Iwo assumed the fourth position while his predecessor was absent, a shift that altered the historical ranking of the Ataoja stool.
He stressed that his demand was not a personal attack on any monarch but a call for the restoration of tradition.
He said: “My father, King Iyiola Oyewale Matanmi III, travelled abroad, and before he returned, they moved his seat aside and placed the Oluwo there.
“That was how the Oluwo got to the fourth position. The fourth position belongs to Ataoja. That was what I met. I am not fighting any king, but the seat of the Ataoja is fourth in Osun.”
The monarch explained that he had been silent on the matter for years but now intended to pursue restoration, stating: “Since then, I have been silent on the matter, not knowing the way forward. I am taking steps underground, but there is no way we will cook inside, and the flame will not show outside.”
However, in a swift response, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, rejected the Ataoja’s claims, describing his argument as historically inaccurate.
The statement emphasised that the Oluwo’s crown derived directly from Oduduwa, adding: “As far as we know, Ataoja was a Baale until 1948.”
The palace insisted that the Oluwo remained a paramount ruler recognised historically and culturally, with authority over more than 35 installed kings, stressing that the throne’s status was not open to contention. They left for Ibadan.
Dailypost/Halima Abdulganiyu
