Osun Residents Condemn Supremacy Battle Between Ooni and Owa Obokun of Ijesaland

By Rafiu Agboola

Scores of Osun residents on Thursday February 4, 2016 condemned what they described as “show of shame” by the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran and the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, over the chairmanship position of the Osun Traditional Council.

Oba Aromolaran and some of his subjects and the “Emeses ( messengers) of the Ooni engaged one another in free for all at the monthly council meeting of the tradional ruler over where to place the seat of the Ooni of Ife, who is assumed to be the chairman of the council.

Oba Aromolaran had before the emergence of the Ooni Adeyeye claimed the chairmanship position of the council in a controversial election which was not attended by a large number of Osun monarchs.

The chairmanship position of the Osun Tradional Council is “supposed and assumed” to be exclusive right of the Ooni of Ife, being the leader of the traditional ruler in the state.

Reacting to the Thursday fight between the Owa and the Ooni’s ,messengers, a social analyst, Mr Talabi Alimi described it as shameful and unbecoming of the exalted institutions.

Talabi said that the custodians of traditional institutions must lead by examples and uphold the tenets of tradition in high esteem.

In the same vein, a culture enthusiast, Dr Abidemi Ajayi said that such disagreement among traditional rulers was barbaric and condemnable

CityMirrorNews recalled that Oba Aromolaran had last year at one of the meetings said he was unanimously elected the substantive chairman of the council.

He said he was nominated by the Ataoja of Osogbo and other monarchs supported the nomination.

However, Oba Aromolaran introduced himself as the vice chairman of the council at December  2015 meeting which was the maiden meeting attended by the Ooni after his inauguration