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How did the 2016 dispute create two rival kings on Wallis?

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Map showing the French overseas territory of Wallis and Futuna in the South Pacific Ocean, with detailed insets of the Wallis Islands (centered on Uvea) and the Horne Islands (Futuna and Alofi). The map marks settlements, main roads, mountains such as Mount Singavi and Mount Kolofau, and surrounding waters. A locator inset shows the territory's position relative to the Pacific region.
Wallis and Futuna

In April 2016, a leadership dispute emerged on Wallis following the selection of Tominiko Halagahu as king by the island's chiefs. Rival royal family members, who contested the legitimacy of this choice, installed Patalione Kanimoa as a competing monarch the day after Halagahu’s coronation.1

This resulted in a period where two rival kings ruled in opposition while a resolution was sought. Although the French administration officially recognized Patalione Kanimoa as the king of Wallis in June 2016, Tominiko Halagahu refused to step down, and the standoff continued into the 2020s.1