Six months after accusing the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, of betrayal and conspiracy, the Oluwo of Iwo, Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has levelled fresh allegations against him, this time involving his ex-wife, Chanel Chin.
In December 2019, this newspaper reported that Mr Akanbi, through his spokesperson, Alli Ibraheem, announced his separation from Ms Chin, citing “personal irreconcilable differences.”
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They welcomed a son, Oduduwa.
Ms Chin, born in Canada, is the daughter of Jamaican reggae star Ludlow “Bobo Zaro” Chin. Chin is renowned for his song “Pain,” which he co-wrote with Capleton.
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The Oluwo would later move on and marry a Kano Princess, Firdaus Abdullahi, on 19 March 2022.
Endless allegations
On 22 March, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Akanbi alleged that Ooni was behind moves to undermine his authority, including orchestrating his suspension from the Osun State Council of Obas.
He further alleged that Mr Ogunwusi used other traditional rulers to destabilise his domain, despite his selfless efforts in prioritising the Ooni’s interests and playing a key role in his enthronement.
In a video posted on his Instagram page on Tuesday, the traditional ruler alleged that Mr Ogunwusi conspired with his former wife to kill him
He said, “He (Ooni) was looking for my downfall, and the next thing, they packaged a woman for me; I don’t know her from Canada, but it was packaged for me. It was a setup. She was in my house, and they talked to her and set me up with videos and many things. She’d ask me questions inside the room, and they communicated with me.
“She was there (in my house) for over three years. She had a child, which I don’t even know if it’s my child now. I have to confirm that through DNA because they want her to kill me. She poisoned me twice. They set up an assassination attempt. They did everything so that maybe their gods would kill me, but they failed. After I found out the secret, I kicked this woman out. It was Ooni who accommodated her.”
Kingmaker
Mr Akanbi further alleged that he played a role in helping the Ooni ascend his ancestral throne, but claimed that the traditional ruler was plotting to kill him to silence him from speaking about his involvement in the future.
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He also alleged that Mr Ogunwusi engaged in an extramarital affair with his former wife at an undisclosed hotel.
“When I get on the throne, you see me talking about this Ooni Adeyeye and what you don’t know, I will tell you today—the governor of Osun State, the commissioners, and all. I helped Ooni Adeyeye, but because he was holding orisa, and God has put me above orisa as a king and a kingmaker that I was, he doesn’t want me to tell the story in the future.
“Ask him (Ooni of Ife) what the lady (my ex-wife) was doing with him in the hotel. I won’t mention the hotel, but when I need clarification, I will mention it. He rented a house for her and the child. People are telling me that I’m talking too much, but if it were you—if a wife was planted in your home to kill you, tried to kill you but failed—would the fight ever end?”, Oluwo of Iwo added.
The traditional ruler further noted that his conflict with the Ooni would never end.
The Oluwo added, “That is why this fight will continue. No one can kill me, no matter their voodoo. Sango cannot kill me; he is my father, but a son must be more powerful than his father. I am a king. Sango cannot kill me. Sango is not a criminal. Ogun is not a criminal. They cannot kill me; they do not kill their children. They do not kill people. Only God determines when someone will die.
“Let him (Ooni) continue to wage war. They say the Ooni suspended me. Can one paramount ruler suspend another? Does that mean he is older than me in age or rank? If three kings were chosen in Osun, I would be number one because I am a paramount ruler. Everyone should understand there is much more behind this. In the past, when people did evil to me, I kept quiet, but in the future I will speak. There is more to come. And if it were you, would you accept it? The Ooni is now living with the same woman and doing everything together.”
Ooni reacts
Reacting to the Oluwo of Iwo’s allegations, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, questioned in an interview with this newspaper why the traditional ruler chose to report the alleged plot against his life on social media rather than to the police.
Mr Olafare added that this was not the first time the Oluwo had accused the Ooni and maintained that the matter he raised had not occurred recently.
“I hope he has reported it to the police station. If somebody alleges a threat to his life or an attempt to kill him, should he report it to the security agencies or to the media? That should give you an idea of what lies behind the so-called allegations. He is always rushing to the media to shout. When did that happen? It happened many years ago. So why is he only talking about it now? This is not the first time he has said this, anyway. But has he ever reported it to the police station? Has he ever reported it to the government?
“So if he has not done that, why run to the media to say it? That does not concern me. On the matter of infidelity, that does not concern me either. It is between him and his ex-wife; that is nobody’s problem. Whatever happened between them is private. It does not concern me. It does not concern the Ooni. He has remarried now and should have forgotten everything. And the woman, too, has remarried, wherever she is in Canada”, he said.
Ooni’s spokesperson described the Oluwo of Iwo’s allegations as childish.
“He’s not the first person to experience issues in his marriage. Even the Ooni he is referring to had issues in his marriage. So, can he now come up to me and say, ‘You are the one who arranged for my wife to leave me’? You see, that is an allegation. Honestly, it is an allegation too childish to respond to.”
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