0
0
There was a fresh twist in the ongoing controversy surrounding the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, on Friday as his estranged wife, Queen Chanel, broke her silence.
She dismissed recent allegations against the Ooni of Ife as “lies from the pit of hell.”
In a statement signed by her and made available to the press, Queen Chanel, the mother of Prince Oduduwa of Iwo Kingdom, debunked claims that the Ooni had a hand in her introduction to Oba Akanbi.
According to her, she first met Oba Akanbi at a party in Ikeja, Lagos, through another prominent Lagos monarch, not through His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, HIM Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II.
“I respectfully regarded this Lagos Monarch as my royal father and still hold him in that regard till this day. At no point did this Monarch introduce me to Mr. Akanbi with any malicious intent,” she clarified.
Queen Chanel also revealed that despite being the biological father of Prince Oduduwa, Oba Akanbi had allegedly abandoned his paternal responsibilities for over five years.
She claimed that the monarch only reappeared briefly in August during a visit to Canada.
“On that occasion, he refused to sign the necessary documents for Oduduwa’s Canadian passport. He, however, dropped $500 as if to cover up for his absence. I was thankful because this was the first support Oduduwa received from his father since we left the palace five years ago,” she stated.
The Canadian-born Queen further maintained that she had consistently taken full responsibility for raising her son and had chosen the path of peace despite the monarch’s alleged negligence.
On the allegations linking the Ooni of Ife to the saga, Queen Chanel urged the public to disregard what she described as “falsehoods aimed at ridiculing a sacred institution.”
“I plead with the general public to disregard any falsehoods being peddled against His Imperial Majesty, the Ooni of Ife, who remains the foremost monarch of the Yoruba race. I also implore the traditional institution to call Mr. Akanbi to order to prevent him from further degrading the sacred institution which he is meant to represent,” she added.
Declaring that this would be her final word on matters involving Oba Akanbi, Queen Chanel emphasized that her son, Prince Oduduwa, remained her foremost priority.
“My love for the Yoruba people is deep and unshaken, and I remain confident that the truth shall prevail,” she concluded.
Average Rating