It was a colourful display of royalty, tradition and politics when the then President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, visited the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, on Friday, March 6, 2015.
Jonathan, who was seeking re-election in the rescheduled 2015 general elections, paid the high-profile visit as part of his efforts to engage traditional rulers and influential stakeholders across the South-West.
The visit was reportedly Jonathan’s second meeting with the revered monarch within a relatively short period, underscoring the importance attached to the traditional institution in the region during the election season.
At the palace, more than 50 traditional rulers from across Osun State were said to have gathered to receive the President. The monarchs subsequently raised their staffs of office towards Jonathan while prayers and royal blessings were offered for his success at the polls.
Although the ceremony was intended as a show of goodwill, photographs and reports from the event soon generated debate, particularly on social media platforms such as Facebook.
For some Nigerians, the gathering represented a significant demonstration of respect for the Ooni and the Yoruba traditional institution.
They viewed the prayers and symbolic gestures by the monarchs as an expression of goodwill towards the visiting President.
Others, however, focused on the cultural symbolism of the ceremony.
Questions were raised about whether the staffs of office held aloft by the monarchs were the appropriate objects traditionally associated with the conferment of royal blessings in Yoruba culture.
Some commentators argued that the irukere, or horsetail, has a prominent place in Yoruba royal and ceremonial practices and wondered whether the gesture involving the staffs should therefore be described specifically as a royal blessing.
The differing interpretations reflected the wider interest that often surrounds Yoruba traditional ceremonies, where royal objects, gestures and rituals can carry meanings beyond their outward appearance.
There were also those who considered the controversy largely political. To them, the more significant message from the visit was Jonathan’s decision to seek the goodwill of traditional rulers and acknowledge their influence ahead of the presidential election.
Whatever interpretation was placed on the ceremony, the visit itself was significant. Jonathan had met with the Ooni of Ife in a highly symbolic setting and received the prayers and goodwill of a large gathering of traditional rulers from Osun State.
Whether the royal gesture would eventually translate into votes was, of course, a different matter. That would ultimately be determined by the electorate, the outcome of the election and, as many Nigerians would put it, the will of God and destiny.
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