The Ijebu-Ode Local Government has approved the formal commencement of the process to fill the vacant stool of the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, signalling a major step toward resolving one of the region’s most culturally significant successions.
The development comes three weeks after the Ogun State Government in a directive dated 11 December 2025, ordered the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to restart the exercise. The government said it identified lapses in the adherence to the 2021 Obas and Chiefs Law and the 1957 Chieftaincy Declaration governing the Awujale stool.
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At the time, the ruling house had scheduled a nomination meeting for 15 December 2025, which attracted the interest from about 60 princes within the lineage. However, in response to the government’s intervention and to forestall potential litigation, the family postponed the meeting.
The chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and former national president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Abdulateef Owoyemi, explained that the decision was necessary to ensure a transparent and legally sound process.
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According to government sources, the error arose because the Ijebu-Ode Local Government began the Awujale succession process prematurely by directing the ruling house to nominate candidates without first obtaining the required formal notification from the family or securing mandatory approval from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Fresh Directives
In a letter dated 6 January, the local government conveyed approval from Executive Chairman, Dare Alebiosu to the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, authorising the family to begin its internal selection process in accordance with customary law and Ogun State’s chieftaincy regulations.
“The Fusengbuwa Ruling House is hereby authorized to begin its internal selection process in accordance with the customary laws of Ijebuland and the Chieftaincy Regulations of Ogun State,” the letter said.
The local government also mandated the ruling house to formally communicate the date, time and venue of its nomination exercise within 14 days of receiving the approval.
According to the directive, council representatives will attend the exercise strictly as observers to ensure proper administrative documentation.
READ ALSO: Why competence, not ceremony, should define the next Awujale — Olawale Adeyemi‑Oriola
Officials emphasized that the approval does not override the traditional rights of the royal lineage and is intended only to facilitate due process.
Ijebu communities have awaited the activation of the succession process following the vacancy of the Awujale stool, after the demise of the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona in July 2025 at the age of 91.
With the latest directive, attention now shifts to the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, whose internal deliberations and eventual nominee will shape the next phase of the succession.
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