Princes from the ruling houses of Osogbo have dismissed what they described as an “unwarranted and unsubstantiated” claim of seniority by the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, over the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji.
Speaking with journalists in Osogbo on Wednesday, princes from the Sogbo, Lahanmi and Matanmi ruling houses insisted there was no basis for any rivalry between the two monarchs, stressing that the Ataoja’s beaded crown and status are rooted in long-established historical and official records.
Prince Lekan Salami, who spoke on behalf of the princes, urged Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, to take urgent steps to restore what he called the Ataoja’s “rightful place” in the hierarchy of traditional rulers in the state.
According to him, the Ataoja’s royal lineage traces directly to Oduduwa through Okanbi’s son, Ajibogun, the first Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland.
“Owa Larooye, the first Ataoja of Osogbo, was a fifth-generation descendant of Oduduwa through Okanbi’s son, Ajibogun,” Salami said. “This connection was confirmed by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, in 1947, which allowed Ataoja Samuel Adenle to resume wearing the beaded crown.”
He explained that the Ooni’s confirmation came after the Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland verified the historical account that linked the Ataoja to Owa Ajibogun, a direct son of Okanbi, the only son of Oduduwa.
By contrast, Salami said, the founder and first Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adekola Telu, was the son of the first and only female Ooni of Ife, Ooni Luwo Gbagida. She hailed from the Otaata family in Owode Compound, Okerewe, Ile-Ife, and was married to the Obaloran of Ilode.
“Thus, Oluwo of Iwo’s claim of seniority to the Ataoja of Osogbo in the roll-call of Obas in Osun State is not only a farce but cannot be substantiated,” he stated. “His only claim to Oduduwa is through his mother, Ooni Luwo Gbagida.”
The princes further cited archival and colonial government records, noting that under the old Ibadan Division, the Ataoja was listed as number one, while the Oluwo was ranked seventh, after the Ooni of Ife, Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland and Orangun of Ila, who occupied the top three positions.
They added that from the colonial era up to the administration of former Governor Bisi Akande, the Ataoja consistently occupied the fourth position in Osun’s traditional hierarchy. This, they claimed, was altered only during the tenure of former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, allegedly in favour of the Oluwo, at a time when the then Ataoja, Oba Iyiola Oyewale Matanmi III, was outside the country.
“This is the message and response of Osogbo to the seniority claim of the Oluwo of Iwo over the Ataoja of Osogbo,” Salami said, calling on Governor Adeleke to correct what they described as a historical and administrative injustice.
