Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II has stepped into the rift between the Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, Oba Tsola Emiko and Chief Ayiri Emami, former Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom.
Olu of Warri had wielded his royal axe on the neck of Emami and stripped him of his Ologbotsere (Prime Minister) title in 2021.
Emami had been against the emergence of Emiko as the next Olu of Warri in-waiting. He headed to a Warri High Court, seeking legal interpretation of the amended 1979 Olu of Warri Chieftaincy Edict which says that the Olu must have Benin and Warri blood flowing in him. However, Emiko’s mother, Olori Gladys Emiko (wife of Olu Atuwatse II, Emiko’s father) is Yoruba.
He sought the court’s order of an interlocutory injunction to restrain the defendants either by themselves, agents and/or whoever from crowning any person as the Olu of Warri Kingdom, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.
However, when the Ooni visited the Olu at his palace last week, he tried to mediate peace between the traditional ruler and his erstwhile chief. He also visited Emami and stressed that God Almighty had raised a king for the Itsekiri nation so all hands should be on deck for the progress of the Warri kingdom.
He advised the two to work together and forget about their differences so that the Itsekiri kingdom can progress. The royal father revealed that Olu of Warri was excited when he informed him that he would also check on Emami before leaving Warri, Delta State.
About the Author
