It’s our turn to produce next Awujale — Fusengbuwa Ruling House

By James Ogunnaike

ABEOKUTA —THE Fusengbuwa ruling house of Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, yesterday, reaffirmed the unity of the family and its determination to produce the next Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland.

The ruling house also warned against alleged attempts to frustrate it from exercising what it described as its lawful turn in the succession to the vacant throne.

The leaders spoke after an enlarged meeting of princes and princesses of the ruling house held at Ile Nla (Agunsebi), Ijebu-Ode.
The meeting, convened to deliberate on the stalled process for selecting a successor to the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona, was co-chaired by Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, Chairman/Head of the Fusengbuwa ruling house; Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba, Deputy Chairman; and Prof. Fassy Yusuf, Vice Chairman.
The leadership briefed members drawn from the various units of the ruling house on developments surrounding the succession process and the legal steps being taken to address the delay.
At the end of the meeting, members endorsed decisions previously taken by the ruling house leadership and expressed renewed confidence in its ability to guide the family through the succession process.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Owoyemi, a former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, ICAN, said the gathering was aimed at updating members on the stalled process and explaining the measures being taken to protect the interests of the ruling house.
Owoyemi said: “The meeting was called to update and brief members of Fusengbuwa ruling house about the stalled selection process for the next Awujale and the steps we have taken to address the issue.
“The large attendance is an attestation of unity. The house is united. Princes and princesses came from Lagos and other places. They supported our decision and they have confidence in our leadership and the things we are doing.
“Our enemies are those who want to spoil things so that they will come back to say our ruling house cannot produce the next Awujale again.”
The ruling house had earlier approached the High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode, asking for orders compelling the completion of the process for selecting the next Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland.
The Awujale stool became vacant in July 2025 following the death of Oba Adetona at the age of 91, after 65 years on the throne.
The Ogun State government halted the selection process in January 2026, citing petitions from security agencies and stakeholders. This followed an earlier suspension of the process in December 2025 over what the government described as procedural concerns.