There has been indication of misunderstanding between two of the four Ruling Houses contesting for Ooni stool in Ife, the Ogboru Ruling House and the Giesi Ruling House after the two ruling houses clashed over the declaration of the Ife kingmakers to use rotational order contained in Ife Cheiftaincy Declaration of 1980 to select the next Ooni of Ife which however favoured the Giesi Ruling House.

The Spokesperson for the Ooni-Ilare Ruling Family of the Ogboru Dynasty, Prince Adekunle Adetogun, in a statement made available to our correspondent on Wednesday rejected the 1980 document which the kingmakers said they relied upon to narrow down the selection process to the Giesi.

The Ogboru family said the contest to select the next monarch for the town should be thrown open among the four ruling houses.

Adetogun said, “Ife Chieftaincy Declaration of 1980 technically throws open the contest for filling the stool of Ooni. The provision in paragraph six of 1980 Chieftaincy Declaration had cancelled the provision in paragraph five of Ife Chieftaincy Declaration of 1957,” therefore, the issue of rotation should not come in.

“Obalufe, in consultation with the chiefs of the right (known as the ‘Outer Chiefs’) and Lowa in consultation with the chiefs of the left (called the ‘Inner Chiefs’) should respect tradition in the selection of Ooni by inviting the four ruling houses to present candidates and forward their names to Ile Oodua whose duty is to transparently consult the Ifa Oracle that will select one of the candidates as the Ooni elect as it was done from time immemorial.”

But the Giesi ruling house has described the decision of the kingmakers to use the 1980 documents as fair and just. In a statement made available to our correspondent on Wednesday, one of the contestants from the Giesi family, Prince Sikiru Ayedun, lauded the kingmakers for standing by the truth. Ayedun, is the immediate past Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Osun State.