The Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu Ode has issued a passionate appeal to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene in the stalled selection process for the next Awujale of Ijebuland. The transition process, which aims to find a successor to the late Oba Sikiru Adetona, has remained in a state of government-imposed suspension for over three months, sparking widespread anxiety across the kingdom.
While 95 aspirants—comprising 94 princes and one princess—emerged from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, the Ogun State Government halted the proceedings in January 2026. Official reports indicate the suspension was triggered by petitions and security concerns, following an earlier procedural pause in December 2025.
Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Abdulateef Owoyemi, addressed the media at his Ijebu Idowa residence on Sunday. He was joined by Deputy Chairman Adedokun Ajidagba and Vice Chairman Fassy Yusuf to express the family’s growing frustration. Owoyemi argued that the continued delay is no longer justifiable, as exhaustive investigations by the Police and the Department of State Services have failed to produce any evidence of misconduct or bribery among the candidates or kingmakers.
Owoyemi emphasised that the ruling house and the kingmakers have become victims of unsubstantiated suspicion and intimidation. He asserted that for more than three months, the selection process has been held hostage by petitions that lack merit. He specifically appealed to Governor Abiodun to direct the Afobaje Kingmakers, led by Dr. Sunny Kuku, to resume their duties. He maintained that the kingmakers are individuals of proven integrity who served the late monarch with loyalty and cannot be influenced to act against tradition.
The ruling house remains firm in its stance that the selection should be handled strictly in accordance with age-old customs without further external intervention. They noted that the residents of Ijebuland are eager for a new leader to guide the community through its next chapter. As the silence from the state government persists, the family hopes that the intervention of the Presidency and the state executive will finally allow the statutory selection of the 60th Awujale to reach its conclusion.