The dispute over the vacant Awujale stool of Ijebuland has deepened, with the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu-Ode accusing the Ogun State Government of frustrating the succession process and allegedly backing attempts to create a parallel leadership structure within the family.
Olori Ebi of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Abdulateef Owoyemi, made the allegations on Saturday while speaking with an Eagle 102.5 FM reporter.
Owoyemi also declared a press conference scheduled for Sunday, September 20, 2026, as void, which he said was intended to announce the emergence of another Olori Ebi of the ruling house and portray the existing leadership structure as illegitimate.
He insisted that the Fusengbuwa Ruling House had already completed its statutory responsibility in the selection process and that no individual or group outside the recognised structure had the authority to restart or alter the process.
According to him, the ruling house was given 14 days to complete its internal nomination exercise but concluded the process within 10 days.
He said the required documents and names of the nominated candidates were subsequently submitted to the Awujale kingmakers.
Owoyemi said the kingmakers were expected to complete the next stage within seven days and forward a single candidate to the Ogun State Governor for approval and eventual enthronement.
He questioned why the process had remained stalled, alleging that the state government had interfered in a process that had already commenced under the applicable traditional and legal framework.
The Fusengbuwa leader further alleged that some “mutinous” members of the family were being encouraged by interested individuals within the Ogun State Government to initiate a parallel process capable of undermining the authority of the ruling house.
He maintained that any meeting, decision or announcement purporting to select a candidate outside the process already completed by the recognised leadership of the ruling house would be invalid.
The latest confrontation comes against the backdrop of two court actions arising from the increasingly contentious succession process.
In August, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House instituted Suit No. HCJ/149/2026 at the Ogun State High Court, Ijebu-Ode, against Governor Dapo Abiodun, the state government, the Awujale kingmakers and other defendants.
The ruling house is seeking, among other reliefs, orders compelling the relevant authorities to resume and conclude the selection process.
It also wants the court to determine whether the state government has the legal authority to halt the nomination and selection process under the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law, 2021.
A vacation judge, Justice A.A. Omoniyi, subsequently returned the case file to the administrative judge for reassignment because of his impending annual vacation.
The matter was adjourned until September 23, 2026, for further proceedings.
The ruling house has now instituted a second action, Suit No. HCJ/167/2026, dated September 16, 2026, against other members of the Fusengbuwa family over what its leadership describes as attempts to parade themselves as leaders of the ruling house or interfere with its established leadership structure.
Owoyemi said the ruling house’s position remained that it had discharged its responsibility within the period prescribed for it, while alleging that the subsequent stage of the selection process was halted following petitions and security reports which, according to him, were not made available to the family.
The succession crisis followed the death of the late Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, in July 2025 after 65 years on the throne.
The selection process subsequently became contentious, with the Ogun State Government halting proceedings amid petitions and security concerns.
Reports from the earlier court proceedings said 95 aspirants, 94 princes and one princess, had emerged from the ruling house nomination exercise.
The latest dispute therefore places both the authority of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and the wider procedure for determining the next Awujale under renewed scrutiny.
With the rival leadership issue now before the court and the earlier suit scheduled for mention on September 23, the judicial proceedings could become a significant factor in determining how the stalled succession process proceeds.
