The coronation rites of the 46th Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade is ongoing as the absence of the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu in Osun State is not mandatory to rob the process of its legitimacy.
Chief of Staff to Oba Owoade, Rotimi Osuntola stated this in a statement sent to LEADERSHIP on Tuesday, where the Palace urged the public to dismiss a media report that the coronation rites of the new monarch would be incomplete without the Apetumodu.
Osuntola, who was reacting a recent article published by a national newspaper with the title: “Alaafin’s Coronation in Jeopardy Over Unknown Whereabouts of Osun Monarch,” insisted that the claims contained in the publication are not only misleading, but also demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of the historically documented coronation rites of the Alaafin of Oyo.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the installation of the Alaafin follows a well-documented tradition that has been upheld for centuries. Reverend Samuel Johnson, in his seminal work ‘The History of the Yorubas (1921)’, provides a comprehensive account of the coronation process.
“Nowhere in this record is the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu mentioned as a mandatory figure in the rites conferring legitimacy upon the Alaafin,” the statement said.
It further asserted as contained in the ‘Historical Context and the Role of Ile-Ife’, quoting Reverend Johnson who explicitly stated that the most sacred element of the Alaafin’s installation is the receipt of the Ida Oranyan (Sword of Oranyan), which is traditionally sent from Ile-Ife.
“This sword is the singular most important symbol of the Alaafin’s divine authority, as it represents the continuation of Oranmiyan’s legacy. The documented coronation rites indicate that as part of the ipebi rites, the Ida Oranyan is sent from Ile-Ife to Oyo for its own part in the rites, and after this, the sword is returned to Ile-Ife. A replica is now sent back to the Alaafin to keep.
“While recent oral traditions may have introduced the Apetumodu into the coronation narrative, historical records do not support the claim that his role is indispensable to the process.
“The idea that his absence could “jeopardize” the coronation is therefore unfounded,” Osuntola maintained.
He clarified that the core aspects of the Alaafin’s installation remain intact, and the coronation will proceed as scheduled on April 5, 2025.
“The Yoruba tradition is rich and adaptive, but it does not deviate from its established and documented practices, as recorded by notable historians such as Reverend Samuel Johnson, ‘Asa ati Ise Yoruba’ by C.L. Adeoye (Chapter 13 Eto Oye Ilu), Page 311 under Oro Oranmiyan section which has to do with the Oranmiyan sword, and several other historians along with far and wide consultation with elders who witnessed the ipebi rites of late Alaafin Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III,” the statement further noted.
The royal office assured the Yoruba people and the public, that there is no obstacle to the coronation of Oba Owoade I as the 46th Alaafin of Oyo.
It further assured that necessary rites were being conducted in strict accordance with the historical traditions of the Oyo Empire while describing any assertions to the contrary as misleading and should be disregarded.
The Palace also urged the media to always verify historical and cultural claims before publication to avoid misinforming the public on sensitive traditional matters.
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