There have been growing concerns over the alleged crash of the 17-month-old marriage between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi and his wife, Olori Wuraola.

Rumours of their alleged separation went viral on social media on Monday but until the rumour broke out not a few people believed that all was well with the powerful and well-respected monarch and his wife. Their wedding ceremony last year was undeniably one of the most glamorous at the period it was held; the planning and guest list distinguished it from hordes of other wedding ceremonies.

Thereafter, the couple travelled around the world for their honeymoon playfully running after each other and picking pebbles on the sandy esplanade of holiday resorts while retiring under the moonlight of Europe’s scenic cities among other idyllic vacation spots. It was a wedding that was supposed to be made in heaven. Alas, one year down the line, the marriage has crashed irretrievably. The well-celebrated marriage has run its full course. While it lasted, they had no child.

Back then when Olori Wuraola held sway, she had the world at her feet; she got her wishes at the snap of a finger and she literally ruled the royal household. Wherever he went, she was constantly by his side. She basked in the stratospheric adulation that came with being the apple of the Ooni’s eyes.

Unfortunately, things have changed and many within the palace now snigger and sneer at her for losing her position as the queen to one of the most powerful Monarchs in Africa.

In his 40s, the tall, dark and handsome monarch has always been a hit with women on account of his smouldering good looks and deep pocket even long before he was enthroned. Women now worship the ground he treads.

A jolly good man, the pressure to get the Ooni to marry another wife is therefore predicated on the need to avoid any case of accidental discharge that might rubbish the traditional institution he represents. Though married to beautiful Olori Wuraola, the marriage is experiencing challenged and has reportedly crashed.

As of now, there are moves being made to get the respectable king to fill his multi-million naira palace with as many women as can satisfy him.

Moreover, the palace needs more princes and princesses that would be sired by the King.

But his beautiful wife is not ready to have another queen in the palace. On arrival from a trip recently, Olori Wuraola went to the home of a former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta to intervene and probably advise her husband not to be influenced to get another wife since their marriage is just a year and few months old.

Though the marriage with Wuraola is reportedly facing crisis, sources close to the queen are insisting that she is still married to the Ooni and that the marriage didn’t crash.

Meanwhile, Oba Ogunwusi, has decided to keep under wrap the identity of his new wife, who is Yoruba unlike Olori Wuraola, who hails from Edo State. The Abeokuta-born new queen, Bolanle is presently said to be residing in the personal house of the monarch and not the palace.

That Bolanle has not featured publicly with the Ooni of Ife is what cannot be ascertained but a few palace sources are of the opinion that the monarch is taking his time before the public show of his new queen.

According to a source within the palace, “The new queen will be unveiled by the end of the month or sometime in September.”

…how Ooni’s sisters ensured emergence of new queen

Princess Folashade, Princess Adesola and Princess Bimpe are sisters to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

Known to attend events with the monarch especially when he was newly installed, there is obviously a supremacy battle among them and Olori Wuraola, who was the only wife and queen in the palace.

As expected, Olori Wuraola put them in their place and this ignited a silent war.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, formally took for wife, former Wuraola Itohan Sonia Otiti Zainab Obanor on March 12, 2016. Initially all seems to be well with the queen and her in-laws but everything turned awry with what a source described as “the attitude of Olori Wuraola towards family members.”

“Unfortunately for the sisters, they cannot narrate all they have experienced in the hands of the queen. When they went on the USA and London tours with the king, Olori Wuraola dealt with them. Before, the sisters lived in the palace but they are no longer there. In fact, when the Ooni of Ife’s father, Price Ropo Ogunwusi, clocked 75 in March 2017, Queen Wuraola, who is a daughter-in-law, was conspicuously absent at the low key get-together,” a source close to the palace said.

At the Baba Oba’s 75th birthday, the three princesses and very few family members were present.

Well, these three princesses— Princess Folashade, Princess Adesola and Princess Bimpe— who are the Kabiyesi’s eyes and ears on the social scene, saw to it that a paramount ruler in Yoruba land did not end up with just a queen. They were said to have arranged the meeting of the new queen, Bolanle who hails from Abeokuta, Ogun State, with the Ooni.

Though the new queen stays in the personal house of the Ooni, she gets the attention and love of the three princesses.

That the Ogunwusi princesses keep a close-knit family cannot be ignored in the scheme of things in the palace especially with the issue of who the king marries.

For Princess Folashade Fadairo who is the third child, she studied English Language ditto her younger sister, Adesola Olojede. Adebimpe Daodu read Banking and Finance at the Osun State College of Technology.

Aside the fact that they co-run a business called FOLSOLBIM VENTURES, Folashade also runs a private business called FOLAR designs, which is one of the most patronised beauty and gift items outfit in Lekki Ajah axis. Sola also oversees the affairs of Alpha Reign Ventures, an outfit that sells luxury phones. Adebimpe who is the last of them, was working as a health officer at Winnipeg regional health authority in Canada. The 40-year-old has relocated to Nigeria since her brother’s installation as king.

…Ogunwusi, wife react to crisis

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi and his wife, Olori Wuraola have denied reports of a marital crisis.

The denial is coming 24 hours after it made rounds on social media and blogs that the pair had separated as a result of infedility and mutual suspicion.

Reacting, Moses Olafare, spokesperson of the Ooni’s palace, said: “there is no truth to the news, it is unimaginable.”

Olafare said in a statement on Facebook: “We would issue a statement on the matter soon. This is total jungle journalism and whoever writes such should not be regarded as a journalist at all.

“The palace is not interested in this rumour as there are lots of positive activities happening every minute so we don’t have time to respond to such noise being created by nonentities.”

Speaking in a similar vein, Ibraham Adedeji, press secretary of the queen, said: “We are deeply disturbed by these rumors and there is absolutely no truth to these absurd claims of infidelity and we vehemently deny them.

“Due to the nature of the allegations and the attempt to defame the character of the Queen and embarrass well respected friends of our Palace, we have immediately employed legal counsel to investigate their origin to take necessary action against the perpetrators.”