Accession to the Throne of the Olowu of Ancient Owu Kingdom: A Case Study of Oba Olusanya Adegboyega Dosunmu Amororo II

Abstract

Kingship institutions headed by traditional rulers have been in existence for centuries before the advent of colonialism. Indubitably, the presence of colonialism paved ways for different political structures, from the independence of Nigeria in 1960 till the return of governance to civilian rule by the military regime headed by General Abdul-Salam Abubakar in 1999, all these changes in the political structures of Nigeria, had a lot of effect on the status and position of the traditional rulers; from a position where they were the chief executive of their domains to advisers in the present political dispensation in Nigeria. Be that as it may, traditional institutions still show utmost resilience in the face of various political changes it has passed through, as the traditional rulers are being accorded a high degree of legitimacy in the eyes of the populace. This paper, therefore, presents discussion on the accession to throne in Yorubaland, the stool of the Olowu of Owu in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria, with reference to the processes involved in the selection, initiation, coronation and installation of Oba Olusanya Adegboyega Dosunmu Amororo II, as the 13th Olowu of Owu kingdom. The discourse relies on oral interviews and supplemented with secondary data. In the main, the paper presents that there are six ruling houses in Owu kingdom which are: Akinjobi, Akinoso, Amororo, Ayoloye, Lagbedu, Otileta and that the basis of rotation was to be adopted in selecting a new king whenever the stool is vacant. The study further discovers that when it was the turn of Amororo dynasty, six persons jostled for the coveted stool out of which Oba Olusanya was successfully chosen by the Kingmakers as the best candidate. The study concludes that initiation which is needed to be done for a new king came in a different dimension for late Oba Olusanya, although he entered “ Ipebi” seclusion but no form of traditional rituals or rites was performed for him and on him. Keywords: Kingship Institution: Colonialism: Owu Kingdom: The Stool of Olowu of Owu: Ruling Houses: Initiation: Nigeria