Punch
Evangelist Naomi Silekunola, the estranged wife of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II, on Tuesday, broke her silence on social media since her divorce post on December 23, 2021.
Taking to her Instastories and Facebook status simultaneously on Tuesday night, the 28-year-old evangelist uploaded a short video of herself after a makeover session.
Playing rhythmically in the background was ‘I Am Beauri’ by Afro-soul singer, Bassey Kenneth, popularly known as Beekay.
The lyrics of the song heard in the video goes thus; I’m a beauri, I be spec, I drip glory, I be nobody’s ex, haters go hate o, potatoes will potate…
Naomi had announced her separation from the monarch through an Instagram post in December 2021. She had also renounced the title of a ‘Queen’, saying she tried to make the three-year union work but the Ooni’s public identity is at variance with “his true self”.
Since the split between 47-year-old Ooni and Naomi, many Yoruba monarchs and elders including the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, have tried to reconcile the estranged couple but the peace talks cannot be said to have yielded any results known to the public as the divorce post remains on the social media accounts of the evangelist.
Our correspondent cannot also confirm whether she is back to the palace as of the time of filing this report as there has not been any official statement to that effect.
Before being coronated king, the Ooni was previously married to Adebukola Bombata in 2008 but the marriage failed. As a monarch, the Ooni married Edo-born Zaynab-Otiti Obanor in 2016 but the union lasted for 17 months before their separation.
He later married Silekunola in 2018 and the marriage produced a son before the divorce announcement in December.
The monarch also had a daughter with Omolara Olatubosun as a teenager. Olatubosun gave birth to Princess Adeola Ogunwusi but recently, there have been counter-claims between the Ooni and Olatubosun over who was responsible for the upbringing of their daughter.
Aside from the Ooni, other traditional rulers who had experienced divorce known to the public include the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, whose marriage to his Jamaican wife, Ms Chanel Chin, crashed in December 2019. Also, Anuoluwapo Adeyemi, one of the wives of the Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi III, parted ways with him in November 2020.
