Palace spokesperson Moses Olafare says the former couple can reconcile, but a return to the palace needs spiritual rites.
On Friday, November 13, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ife, showed up at Elizade University in Ondo State for the graduation of his ex-wife, Prophetess Naomi Silekunola. Gospel singer Dare Justified shared the news in a post on his Instagram page the same day.
Justified called the Ooni's presence "an even greater honour" and prayed for the former queen: "I pray it opens doors to even greater accomplishments, new opportunities and greater heights."
A video from the event went viral, showing the former couple exchanging pleasantries and interacting with their son, Tadenikawo. Legit.ng reported that the Ooni pulled out two bundles of N1,000 notes and handed them to the boy as the family paused for photographs. Fans reacted warmly. One follower, @chizobas_diary, observed: "For him to even come out for her when she's no longer in the palace speaks a lot of volume as to how he cherishes her."
An Instagram post claimed the monarch was set to receive his former queen back into the palace. Spokesperson Moses Olafare told Premium Times he could not immediately confirm whether the encounter signalled a reconciliation. Olafare, currently in Liberia to oversee one of the monarch's mining ventures, pointed out that the Ooni had been to Elizade University events previously and warned against drawing conclusions from Friday's get-together.
Olafare said the former couple were free to reconcile. "They could easily reconcile with each other like any other couple. But for her to return to the palace requires a lot of spiritual rites, which could not have been performed at an external function such as where they recently met," he said. He stressed that separation was not an "unpardonable offence."
He added:
"If the woman has made up her mind to return to her former marriage, it is allowed, but it is spiritually and culturally procedural."
Olafare also stated that Silekunola had stepped down from the throne voluntarily four years before. He said he did not want his remarks read as opposition to a possible reconciliation.
Silekunola married the Ooni in October 2018, and their son was born in November 2020. Silekunola revealed in December 2021 that the union was over, stating she was no longer to be called the Ooni's wife or the Queen of Ile-Ife. Ahead of the convocation, she said she had sat the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination again after more than a decade to gain admission to the university, and had combined motherhood with full-time study for four years. She studied International Relations. The university combined its 10th and 11th convocations, covering 964 graduands, 116 of them with First Class honours.
The former couple had appeared together before. In 2024 they reunited at a praise night held to mark the opening of the Ooni's Ojaja Park in Akure, Ondo State. Guests surrounded Tadenikawo, then four years old, and took turns dancing with him.
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