The head of Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu Ode, in Ogun State, Abdulateef Owoyemi, on Sunday, appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to lift the embargo on the Awujale selection process and allow the kingmakers to complete their work.
Owoyemi, a former national president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, said the royal family of Fusengbuwa and the sons and daughters of Ijebu land, both locally and in the diaspora, had become frustrated over the indefinite suspension of the selection process by the government.
Owoyemi acknowledged the governor’s support but urged that “no distraction” should prevent the selection of the new Awujale.
“The royal family and indeed every son and daughter of Ijebu land will appreciate it if the governor can allow all of these distractions to be put behind us.
“Ramadan has begun, after which we shall hold our annual Ojude Oba during Eid-el-Kabir, a gathering of significant religious and cultural importance.
“Everyone, both at home and in the diaspora, is waiting, but who will coordinate the preparations? The people are seeking guidance, and the truth is that they want the new Awujale to be installed.
“We want to have this thing over as soon as possible. I receive calls every day from within and outside the country from members of the family who want to know what is happening, but I don’t have anything to say,” he said.
The family head described the kingmakers as “men of integrity, people of character who will not sell the Awujale’s throne for anything.”
He pleaded: “The family is not happy with all that is happening, and we are begging the government to lift the suspension and let us finish this job on time.
“The people are expectant; they want the new Awujale as soon as possible. This process must be completed, and someone must emerge. This is the plea of the Fusengbuwa ruling house.”
The state government had halted the selection process for the second time last month.
A statement signed by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, explained that the suspension followed a flood of petitions from security agencies and other stakeholders.
On Saturday, the government debunked the rumour that it had endorsed the choice of one Ademorin Aliu Kuye as the new Awujale after his purported selection by the Ifa oracle.
In a statement by Hamzat, the government maintained that the selection process to fill the vacant stool of Awujale remained suspended as announced last month by the government, due to a plethora of petitions that it had received over the selection process.
“The attention of Ogun State Government has been drawn to rumours circulating in certain quarters alleging that the Ifa oracle has chosen Prince Ademorin Aliu Kuye as the next Awujale of Ijebuland and that the state government has endorsed or supported this purported outcome.
“The government wishes to categorically state that it is not involved in, nor has it endorsed, any such claim.
“The process for the selection and installation of the next Awujale of Ijebuland is guided strictly by the applicable laws, established procedures, and recognised traditional customs.
“Any suggestion that the government has adopted or approved a candidate through an oracle or any informal process is false, misleading, and should be disregarded by the public,” the statement read.
The Awujale stool became vacant in July 2025 following the death of 91-year-old Oba Sikiru Adetona, who reigned for 65 years.
During a recent nomination meeting at Bisrod Hall, GRA Ijebu Ode, 95 candidates, including 94 princes and one princess from Fusengbuwa ruling house, were nominated, and the kingmakers, led by the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu land, Dr Sunny Kuku, were about to begin the selection process when it was halted.
The PUNCH