Osogbo Princes reject Oluwo’s claim of seniority, urge Adeleke to restore Ataoja’s status

Osogbo Princes reject Oluwo’s claim of seniority, urge Adeleke to restore Ataoja’s status

Princes from Osogbo have faulted the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, over his recent claim of seniority above the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji, describing the assertion as historically baseless.

Addressing newsmen in Osogbo on Wednesday, representatives of the Sogbo, Lahanmi and Matanmi ruling houses maintained that the Ataoja’s royal lineage predated that of the Oluwo, with direct descent from Oduduwa through Owa Ajibogun, the first Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland.

Speaking on behalf of the princes, Prince Lekan Salami explained that Owa Larooye, the first Ataoja of Osogbo, was a fifth-generation descendant of Oduduwa through Okanbi’s son, Ajibogun — a lineage confirmed by the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, in 1947.

He noted that Oba Aderemi’s confirmation allowed Ataoja Samuel Adenle to resume wearing the beaded crown after verifying from the Owa-Obokun of Ijeshaland that the Osogbo monarch shared ancestral ties with Ijesha royalty.

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“Conversely, the founder and first Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adekola Telu, was the son of the only female Ooni of Ife, Ooni Luwo Gbagida, who reigned after Ooni Giesi,” Salami said. “While the Oluwo’s ancestry traces to Oduduwa maternally through Ooni Luwo, the Ataoja’s lineage descends paternally through Owa Ajibogun — a direct son of Okanbi, the only son of Oduduwa.”

According to the princes, colonial and government archival records clearly place the Ataoja ahead of the Oluwo in the traditional hierarchy, listing the Ataoja as number one under the Ibadan Division, while the Oluwo was ranked seventh.

They also recalled that from the colonial period up to the administration of former Governor Bisi Akande, the Ataoja consistently occupied the fourth position among Osun monarchs — after the Ooni of Ife, Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland, and Orangun of Ila.

However, the group alleged that the order was altered in favour of the Oluwo during the tenure of former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, describing the move as unjust and politically motivated.

Prince Salami urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to correct the distortion and restore the Ataoja’s rightful place in the hierarchy of Osun traditional rulers.

“This is Osogbo’s response to the unwarranted seniority claim by the Oluwo of Iwo,” he said. “History and records are clear — the Ataoja’s heritage and precedence remain unquestionable.”

Osogbo Princes reject Oluwo’s claim of seniority, urge Adeleke to restore Ataoja’s status