No fewer than 35 contestants have indicated their
interests to succeed the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, who died on July
28, in a London hospital.
Our correspondent gathered that the contestants
are those from the Giesi Ruling House alone which is one of the four ruling
houses in Ile-Ife.
To ensure that the family field credible
candidates only, it was gathered that the leadership of the ruling house set up
a committee screen for the contestants to ensure that unqualified persons were
not included among its candidates.
The screening committee was headed by Prince Ropo
Ogunwusi while Prince Kehinde Ogunwusi was the secretary. The committee, it was
gathered, had submitted its report to Prince Modupe Fadehan, who is the head of
the family.
The ruling house, it was gathered, asked the
committee to come up with six contestants whose names would be forwarded to the
kingmakers before the end of this week.
Some of the contestants included Princes Adetunji
Ogunwusi, Aderemi Adelowo, Sikiru Ayedun, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Taye
Ogunleye, Adegboyega Ologbenla and Gbadegesin Ologbenla.
Others were Princes Bankola Adediwura, Adegboyega
Adedira, Olajide Adejoba, Sikiru Ayedun, Ademoyowa Omomadelo and Adegoke
Adeyemo.
Efforts to speak to the chairman of the committee
were unsuccessful as telephone calls to him were not picked while he did not
respond to the text sent to him.
However, a member of the family, Prof. Moses
Awogbade, when contacted on the telephone by our correspondent, said he was
aware that some contestants had collected intention form designed by the family
for aspirants.
He said, “I have seen the list of the contestants
but I did not check how many. I saw the names of those contesting from our
family and I was okay with that.”
One of the sources within Giesi said Adetunji
Ogunwusi was confident of emerging the next Ooni despite the large number of
contestants struggling to ascend the throne.
The source, who pleaded not to be mentioned,
said, “He is confident of emerging the next Ooni. He is already looking for
ways to further develop Ife, unlike other contestants.
“Concerning the insinuations that the rotational
order of succession to the throne has been cancelled, majority of the people of
Ile-Ife believe that this is a sign of desperation by some of those jostling to
succeed the late Oba Okunade Sijuwade by all means.”
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