The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, has publicly alleged that during a visit to the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, he was “chased out like a child.” The claim, made in a viral TikTok video on Sunday, has reignited the ongoing tensions between the two prominent monarchs in Osun State.
Speaking in the video, Ooni Ogunwusi recounted the incident and expressed his reluctance to engage closely with the Oluwo since then. “When I visited Oluwo, he chased me out like a child,” he said. “Since that incident, I have always maintained myself going close to him. Now that you people (attendees) are imploring that I visit him again, what if he does what he likes to me?”
The Ooni acknowledged the challenges of addressing the situation, stating, “But 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.” Despite his apparent restraint, Ogunwusi’s remarks signal the underlying tension between the two royal figures.
Although the Ooni did not directly address any feud between them, sources suggest that the relationship between the two monarchs has been strained due to ideological differences, particularly concerning traditional practices. Oluwo of Iwo has been vocal about his opposition to what he perceives as “idol worship” and his preference for Islam, which has influenced his governance in Iwo.
In a separate video, Oluwo Akanbi, known as Telu 1, reiterated his disdain for traditional practices, urging the people of Iwo to reject them. “My work as a monarch is to stand for God and preach about him alone while challenging those worshipping things other than Him,” he stated. “I don’t do Ogun or any idol festival. Although I have previously celebrated the Egungun festival with the worshippers, I will never do that again.”
Oluwo’s comments were a direct reflection of his strong stance against what he calls idol worship. He further added, “And you cannot even perform sacrifices in Iwo here. Anyone who does that will eat it. Better still, litter your house with the sacrifices. Environmental sanitation has been exercised here to curb things like that. What anyone would need to be successful is to challenge the idols and their worshippers.”
In a Facebook post on Monday, Oluwo elaborated on Iwo’s historical transformation, stating that Islam had been deeply rooted in the town since the 1600s. He noted that Oba Ibirinade Abioye Adekanbi, the ruler who brought Islam to Iwo, converted the entire town, removing idols and establishing the first mosque in southwestern Nigeria. “Oba Ibirinade Adekanbi brought Islam in 1600. He evacuated idols and converted a place of worshipping deities to the Oluwo Central Mosque,” he wrote.
This long-standing religious divide appears to have influenced the relationship between the two monarchs. Tensions resurfaced in 2018 when Oluwo accused the Ooni’s bodyguard of pushing him during a gathering of traditional rulers in Port Harcourt. According to Akanbi, the altercation occurred just as the Ooni was called to the podium to deliver a vote of thanks, leading to what he described as a “desecration of the crown.” However, the Ooni denied the allegations, with his palace issuing a statement at the time that “there was no altercation between Oluwo and anybody at that venue at all.”
