Queen Chanel, the former wife of the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has strongly denied allegations made by the monarch that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, conspired with her in a plot to bring him down.
In a recent viral video, the Oluwo accused the Ooni of “packaging a woman” for him, alleging that Queen Chanel was introduced to him as part of a conspiracy to destabilize his throne. He claimed she was used in attempts to poison him and questioned the paternity of their son, Prince Oduduwa.
Reacting in a detailed press release, Queen Chanel dismissed the claims as false, misleading, and damaging to the Yoruba traditional institution. She insisted that her introduction to Oba Akanbi came through a respected Lagos monarch, not the Ooni of Ife.
“During my time as Olori Oluwo, I regarded this Lagos monarch as my Royal Father and still do with respect. At no time did this monarch introduce me to Mr. Akanbi for any malicious intent,” she stated.
She recalled cherished memories of visiting the Lagos monarch with Oba Akanbi and their son, Prince Oduduwa, while stressing that the Ooni played no role in their relationship.
On the issue of parental responsibility, Queen Chanel revealed that Oba Akanbi had been absent from their son’s life for over five years. According to her, he only resurfaced in August this year in Canada, where he refused to sign passport papers but dropped $500 — the first support the son, Ibrahim Oduduwa had ever received from Oluwo since they left the palace.
“Despite this, I have shouldered the full responsibility of raising my son, while always advocating for peaceful co-parenting,” she said.
The ex-queen also appealed to the public to disregard “falsehoods” against the Ooni of Ife, describing him as “our foremost monarch.” She urged Yoruba traditional leaders to caution Oba Akanbi “from further degrading the sacred throne he once occupied.”
Concluding her statement, Queen Chanel noted that this would be her final word on the matter. “Prince Oduduwa remains my beloved son, and I hold the Yoruba people in deep glove and respect,” she said.
