Olori Naomi Silekunola, mother of the prince of Ife, Tadenikawo, in her divorce notes has denied that her collapsed marriage to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, was an arranged one.
She also debunked some other rumours about the failed marriage, including the fact that she was introduced to the Ooni by a prophetess, the number of pregnancies, she had had and other incorrect “impressions.”
She said, contrary to rumours, she wasn’t leaving because of another woman as the monarch had always had “side attractions but it was never an issue.”
On how they were introduced, she said, “The marriage was not an arranged one, as many have misconstrued. I never knew the prophetess said to have introduced me to him. Instead, he introduced her to me after I agreed to marry him. I was only being polite out of respect for him.”
Regarding rumours on previous pregnancies, she said, “I have never been pregnant all my life before Tadenikawo. My son is my first ever pregnancy with medical reports to back it up. The girl who is said to be my daughter is my niece.”
On Thursday, Olori Silekunola announced the end of her three-year marriage to the Ife monarch. The marriage produced a prince, Tadenikawo.
The Ooni had been previously married to Queen Zaynab-Otiti Obanor and has a 29-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.