An Abeokuta based woman identified Lola Babs has offered herself to replace the immediate past Queen Silekunola Ogunwusi, who on Thursday announced end of her three year old marriage with Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi
Naijamixedng reports that, the woman made this known while contributing to a live programme on Fresh F.M station in Abeokuta, on Friday in the course of discussions centred on the controversial divorce announcement on social media.
The woman who put a telephone call to the station, to contribute to the discussion, did not hide her interest to become the next queen for the traditional ruler, and appealed to anchor of the programme and station management to help relay her message to the monarch
‘I am available to be the next Olori for the Ooni of Ife, I am not joking, am available. I would want you to help me pass my message to Kabiyesi, and I meant it. I am resident in Abeokuta. He should come and take wife from Ogun state’, the woman emphasised
it was reported that Queen Silekunola Ogunwusi through her instagram handle announced dissolution of her 3-year old marriage with the first class traditional ruler, stressing that henceforth she should not be referred to as wife of Ooni of Ife or as queen of Ife, but as the queen of the people.
‘Today I announce the beginning of a new dawn and the close of a chapter. Today, I am a mother to God’s unique gift. I am no longer a slave to my thoughts of perfection. I, at this moment, announce that I shall no longer be referred to as wife to the Ooni of Ife or as Queen of Ile-Ife but as the Queen of the people and mother of my adorable Prince.”
“The marriage was not an arranged one, as many have misconstrued. I never knew the prophetess said to have introduced me to him. Instead, he introduced her to me after I agreed to marry him. I was only being polite out of respect for him. I have never been pregnant all my life before Tadenikawo; my son is my first ever pregnancy with medical reports to back it up’, she wrote
we further reported that, it is recalled that,the palace in reaction has declared not aware of the divorce of the queen as made public on Thursday, which went viral on social media, adding that, the story also caught the royal father unaware.
The Palace Media Officer, Moses Olafare when contacted exclusively by Penpushing media over the controversial issues, said the ugly development caught the Kabiyesi and his Chiefs unaware, adding that, nobody has premonition of the action.
‘Just like everybody saw it, we saw it on social media this morning. As at last night, before we went to bed, there was no indications that suggest that something like that will happened. Nobody has premonition of it’, Olafare emphasised.
The palace stated that, there was no issue that warrant such action from the Queen, adding that the palace was not in the know of the said separation, and that if such would happened the chiefs would have being notified
‘And as a palace I want to say that we are not aware of such separation. If there is to be a separation, the chiefs would have been notified. Everybody, including Kabiyesi saw it on social media, as the general public saw it’, Olafare said
‘Marriage is a private affairs, whatever the decision that will be taken, will be mutual,so in this case, it is on social media, that Olori said, she is longer in the marriage. The palace is not aware of such seperation’, he emphasised
Olafare explained that, as at Wednesday evening, the royal father was making arrangements for special Christmas gifts for his wife, and was happily preparing for the package’, he added
‘By this time yesterday, Kabiyesi was making arrangements for a big Christmas package for his wife. Kabiyesi was happily preparing Christmas package’, the palace recalled
in a related development, a palace source and notable indigene of ancient town of Ile -Ife, Sola Lawal has faulted divorce claim of Olori Silekunola Ogunwusi against the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, explaining that contrary to position of the immediate past queen, it was the gods who rejected her for reasons known to them alone.
The known associate of the monarch made this known exclusively to media while responding as update to the controversial development, explaining that, assumption of office of an Ooni is a culmination of a complex web of traditional cleansing and atonement, adding that this is what is commonly referred to as purification of an intending queen
Lawal, going memory lane, explained that the Ogunwusi experience was not new in history of the ancient palace, adding that similar occurrence was recorded during the reign of Oba Olubuse, but did not attract public attention because there was no social media then, and there were so many queens
“Your view in this matter only reflects your limited understanding of the ancient palace of Oduduwa and anyone chanced to dwell in it particularly spouse of a reigning Oonirisa. Please permit me to explain a little. As we all know, assumption of office of an Ooni is a culmination of a complex web of traditional cleansing and atonement”, Lawal explained
“This is what is commonly referred to as ritual purification of an intending Ooni. What most people do not know however is that a part of the puritanistic process also involves the spouse of the Ooni, but in the case of an Olori, this process rather than focusing cleansing is concerned with deep traditional appraisal to determine suitability or otherwise of an Olori as co-occupant of the palace”, he added
“For an Olori the process is never ending. Therefore an Olori’s tenancy in the palace, so to say , remains at the behest of the gods and their approval of such. Flowing naturally from this is the fact that at the transition of an Ooni every widowing Olori is by tradition an inheritance of new Ooni. Don’t forget that willed Oloris are already pure”,Lawal stated
“Now the reason, the exit of Oloris from the palace in the case of Ogunwusi’s Ooniship is accompanied with so much hoopla is because of his preference for monogamy. In a harem of wives, when the gods eject one it remains a drop in the ocean that no one notices. Yes and any Olori the gods find unsuitable at any point although an untrained eye won’t see it”, he explained.
‘My brother , we indeed had three such incidents that I know of clearly during the time of Olubuse. The news were not all over the place, only because there were so many Oloris in the palace. At the last count I know of eight apart from Aunty Mori who along with Ladun, (Orangun’s daughter) and the 24 year old princess from Akure, Ooni Olubuse married barely four years to his departure.
Lawal posited that no Ooni of Ife is ever known to be parading a missionary christian leader, emphasising that Silekunola was ejected by the gods for reason best known to them, stressing that the resident gods in the Oduduwa prime abode determines who is qualified to live in the palace.
“No Ooni is ever known to parade a wife like a missionary Christian leader. I just heard from Lambua that his dad left 17 Oloris in the palace when he passed. Lambua, 80, is Aderemi’s third son. Okanle Igba Irunmoles controls who dwells and gets ejected from Oduduwa prime abode. Quote me along this line”, Lawal declared
