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Making of Ooni Ogunwusi: The Facts!
By Wale Olaleye
Some folks had challenged me earlier today to put out my facts as far as the emergence of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II is concerned and I’m doing just that now. From a few of the responses on the thread of my previous posts, it’s evident that the truth had been lost in the mix, either by design or default. But I’ll see to it now and set it straight.
In a concise form, I’d try as much as possible to reveal some of the untold stories of the emergence of the Ooni, with the hope that those, who had disagreed with me, would come out with their own facts, not necessarily agreeing with me.
I’d like to start by admitting that, Oba Ogunwusi as the 51st Ooni of Ife, was definitely ordained by God, and not any man, else enough efforts were made to frustrate his emergence. However, it was a destiny fulfilled through the instrumentality of certain individuals, but certainly not the Ifa Eko or Lion of Bourdilon as many delightfully believed.
For the record, Ile-Ife has four ruling houses, and I will list them with the respective predecessors to the current Oba. They are, Ooni Ademiluyi from the Lafogido rulling house; Ooni Aderemi, from Oshikola rulling House; Ooni Sijuade from the Ogboru rulling House and of course, the incumbent, Ooni Ogunwusi, from the Giesi rulling House.
Thus, following the passing of Ooni Okunade Sijuade, in July of 2015, Ile-Ife was literally thrown into a frenzy and turmoil, as the selection of a successor had elicited the interest of Lagos political leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who had an agenda to install his friend, Prince Dipo Eludoyin. But the prince was not interested and refused to be dragged into the tussle for the Obaship. In fact, he left for London, just to be out of sight.
Not satisfied, Tinubu went on to poach Prince Ayedun, a former commissioner in former Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s cabinet. That too was not to fly, because of the more intricate dimensions to the choice of the new Ooni, which would not ignore the standard process.
Mindful of the fact that the selection of the new Ooni was to come from the rotational system gazetted by the government of the late Chief Bola Ige in 1980, it would be nearly impossible to bypass the Giesi ruling house. That one factor, unfortunately, stood against all the machinations of Tinubu known to disrespect rules and process in everything.
With the Gazette, the Giesi rulling house was next to produce the new Ooni but Tinubu, as he is known to do with his other choices, wanted to politicise this renowned Yoruba tradition for his own political interests and gains. Whatever they were! But the Ife people resisted any such moves and his plot was subsequently exposed to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who would naturally stand in opposition camp with Tinubu.
At this point, Obasanjo, a close friend to the leader of the Giesi rulling house, Professor Adeyemi Aderibigbe, a 95-year old former Deputy Minister of Defence to the then Defence Minister Ribadu (father of Nuhu Ribadu), took it up upon himself to salvage the Yoruba culture and tradition.
Having had a full knowledge of Tinubu’s moves to compromise the process, Obasanjo made a call to Aso Rock and told Professor Aderibigbe to go and report Tinubu’s efforts at truncating the traditional process of selecting the new Oba by its 16 Kingmakers to the president, Muhammadu Buhari. Of course, Baba Iyabo facilitated the appointment, even though the professor too has a rich network at the seat of power.
Incidentally, and perhaps, by providence, on the day Professor Aderibigbe got to the Villa, he was ushered into a waiting area and behold, Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande were already seated, also waiting to meet with the president.
After about 10 minutes, President Buhari walked in and immediately elected to speak with the oldest man first, whom he knew from his previous cabinet as Head of State.
Typical of old men, who have nothing to lose, Professor Aderibigbe wasted no time to expose Tinubu’s plans in the presence of the President and Baba Akande and the President immediately turned to Asiwaju for response and reason for his involvement since this was an Osun matter and not Lagos State.
Obviously not expecting such an attack, Tinubu was clearly cornered and immediately backed down on his mission to install the new Ooni. The president’s intervention needed no further clarification.
Meanwhile, it is true that the Elegushi had earlier taken the Ooni to Tinubu before his eventual emergence, in the hope that he would buy into the idea, but Tinubu’s mind was already made up on the person he wanted as the new Ooni and that visit was just a formality. It was of no consequence. Oba Ogunwusi was the preferred choice, allegedly tipped for the throne even by the late Ooni.
Besides, Aregbesola too had been receiving calls from prominent people, who prevailed on him not to disrupt a process already known to tradition. He was said to have squealed to his leader, that there might be crisis in Ile-Ife if he altered the process and urged that things be left as they were, because he was on the ground as governor.
Of course, that’s Tinubu for you. When Hon. Abike Dabiri and others took Hon. Mulikat Adeola to him in 2011 as the choice candidate for speaker, House of Representatives, how did that visit change the fact that he later had a deal with the other side and conceded the slot of the South-west to the north for purely selfish reasons, even after he had given his word to Mulikat.
Therefore, for those who did not know what the facts are, stop the falsehood. Tinubu did not support the Ooni, let alone make him one. He has no stake whatsoever in his Obaship. Pure and simple!
Source: Igbimọ aṣojú Yoruba
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2027: Tinubu Dares Obi, Atiku to Showcase Their Achievements in Office, Accuses Them of Abandoning Their Responsibilities
I’m
President Bola Tinubu has criticised former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar over their political affiliations, questioning their leadership credentials ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Tinubu made the remarks on Friday during his visit to Akwa Ibom State, where he inaugurated projects executed by Governor Umo Eno’s administration and addressed supporters at a political gathering.
Although he did not mention either politician by name, he appeared to refer to Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, and Atiku, who joined the African Democratic Congress after leaving the Peoples Democratic Party.
Referring to Obi’s tenure as Anambra governor, Tinubu accused him of failing to tackle erosion in the state, contrasting it with his own claim of confronting the Atlantic Ocean during his administration as Lagos governor.
“One, who said he is in one party they call NDC, who is running for president. He ran away from erosion. In Anambra State, he could not confront erosion.
“I, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I confronted the Atlantic Ocean. I claim it for you. Umo Eno confronted the erosion in Akwa Ibom and is working for, he is stable,” the President said.
Tinubu also questioned the political loyalty of a former PDP member who moved to another party, in an apparent reference to Atiku’s defection to the ADC.
“If a man that was, once upon a time, was a baby of PDP, became a father of PDP. And because of a little inconvenience, he ran away from that party. And formed a dangerous ADC in another party. Is that a leadership trait? Is that a leadership character? And he wants you to vote for him?” he said.
Obi governed Anambra State between 2006 and 2014, while Atiku served as Nigeria’s Vice-President from 1999 to 2007 under the PDP.
Atiku contested the 2023 presidential election on the PDP platform, finishing second behind Tinubu, while Obi, who contested under the Labour Party, came third.
Obi left the Labour Party for the NDC in May 2026, while Atiku joined the ADC as part of opposition efforts ahead of the 2027 election.
Tinubu’s reference to Anambra’s erosion problem recalls his 2023 presidential campaign promise to tackle the menace in the state.
During a campaign rally in Awka in February 2023, the then APC presidential candidate promised to address gully erosion in Anambra, saying he would handle it in the same way he claimed to have tackled the Atlantic Ocean surge in Lagos.
“I have come here to promise you development. We will industrialise Nigeria and Anambra State. You know me, I am the city boy of Lagos; I caged the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos; the way I handled the Atlantic Ocean in Lagos, I will handle the erosion menace in Anambra State,” he said at the time.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the long-awaited Ibom Deep Seaport project in Akwa Ibom State.
Tinubu announced the approval on Friday while responding to a request by Governor Umo Eno during a reception and rally held in his honour at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.
The President, who was in the state to inaugurate projects executed by the Eno administration, said the development must promote inclusive growth, create economic value and bring progress to the people.
“Now, development must be even inclusive and reasonable, must bring progress and create economic value. I heard from my friend, my governor, my pastor, on behalf of the people and leadership of Akwa Ibom, request for Ibom’s deep-sea port,” Tinubu said.
After repeating the request, the President asked the crowd, “Will you vote?”
He subsequently declared, “Okay, It’s approved.”
The approval followed a pledge by Eno that Akwa Ibom would deliver two million votes for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 if the Federal Government delivered the seaport.
“Give us Ibom Deep Seaport, we will deliver two million votes. This deep seaport is capable of unlocking the economy of the state, the South-South region and Nigeria at large,” the governor said.
Eno described the seaport as the most important economic demand of the people of Akwa Ibom, saying it would transform the state’s maritime, industrial and employment landscape.
He said the people of the state had remained loyal to Tinubu since 2023 and were asking him to fulfil his promise to build the facility.
Tinubu had, during his 2023 presidential campaign rally at the same stadium, promised to build the deep seaport, citing the Lekki Deep Seaport, developed during his tenure as Lagos State governor, as an example of what he hoped to achieve in Akwa Ibom.
Eno said the project, conceived during the administration of former Governor Victor Attah as the Ibaka Deep Seaport and Industrial City, had remained unrealised for decades despite featuring in successive presidential campaigns.
“This seaport would serve as a major transhipment hub. It will create thousands of jobs for our people. It will open Akwa Ibom to international trade and investment,” he said.
The governor also said Akwa Ibom had aligned with the Federal Government by joining the All Progressives Congress to attract greater federal presence and development.
He assured Tinubu that the state would mobilise support for his re-election in 2027, saying the seaport would be a major dividend of his administration.
*Says ADC’s leadership that produced him, other candidates illegal
A Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the process that led to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s emergence as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate for next year’s presidential election. FollowPolitics
In a judgment on Thursday, Justice Peter Lifu also voided the emergence of former Senate President David Mark, ex-Governor of Osun State Rauf Aregbesola, and others as ADC national officers.
Justice Lifu also voided the nominations of all ADC candidates for the 2027 general elections, holding that they emerged from the ADC’s illegal and unlawful leadership.
The judgment was delivered in a suit brought by an aggrieved ADC Deputy National Chairman, Nafiu Bala Gombe.
The judge upheld Gombe’s contention that David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola emerged as party leaders through an unlawful and illegal process.
Justice Lifu set aside all actions taken by the Mark-led leadership in the name of ADC, holding that they were unlawful.
Details shortly…
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