Osun Obas supremacy battle sparks tension as Ataoja and Oluwo clash bitterly over who occupies the fourth position in the Council of Obas hierarchy

At the centre of the rift is the claim to the fourth position in the Osun State Council of Obas. Ataoja’s loyalists argue that Osogbo’s role as the state capital secures the seat for their monarch, while Oluwo’s supporters insist that Iwo’s throne predates Osogbo and carries greater ancestral weight.

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The row intensified after Oba Oyetunji, during a lecture at Osun State University marking his 15th coronation anniversary, restated his belief that the Ataoja’s stool historically holds the fourth position.

He accused past political manoeuvres of wrongly ceding the place to Oluwo. “I am not fighting any monarch, but Ataoja’s stool is number four in Osun State,” he stressed.

In a swift response, Oluwo, through his press secretary, Alli Ibraheem, dismissed the claims as a distortion of Yoruba history.

He argued that the Oluwo’s beaded crown flows directly from Oduduwa, while describing Ataoja’s crown as recent, politically influenced, and elevated only in 1976.

The disagreement has spilled onto social media, where loyalists of both rulers trade sharp words, heightening tension among supporters.

Insiders revealed that the monarchs even clashed at a Council of Obas meeting when Ataoja presided in the absence of senior monarchs. Oluwo, on arrival, expected to take over but was not invited to do so, sparking protest and disruption.

The dispute has now drawn in traditional institutions and community groups.

The Iwo Board of Trustees demanded that Governor Ademola Adeleke compel Ataoja to apologise, accusing him of provoking unnecessary discord. By contrast, Ataoja’s camp maintains that Osogbo’s recognition as state capital in 1992 established the monarch’s seniority.

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Amid the mounting tension, elder statesmen and community leaders have appealed for restraint. Justice Moshood Adeigbe, Asiwaju of Osogbo, urged reconciliation, warning that further escalation could undermine the peace of the state.