Ogun govt stops Awujale succession, orders Fusengbuwa Ruling House to restart process

The Fusenguwa Ruling House agreed with the Ogun State Government to restart the process of nominating the new Awujale.

The Ogun State Government has stopped the ongoing succession process for the Awujale of Ijebuland, directing the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to restart the exercise after identifying procedural lapses that could lead to legal disputes.

The decision followed the ruling house’s move to hold a nomination meeting on Monday, 15 December, to select a candidate to succeed the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona, who died in July at the age of 91.

In a letter dated 11 December and signed by family spokesperson Abiodun Ogidan, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House had announced that the nomination meeting would take place at Bisrod Hall, GRA, Ijebu Ode, with attendance restricted to accredited family members.

Days later, the ruling house issued another notice titled ‘To all members of Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Ijebu Ode,’ announcing the postponement of the meeting and cited circumstances beyond its control, The Lagos State Television reported.

“Due to circumstances beyond the family’s control, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House Awujale nomination meeting scheduled for Monday, December 15, 2025, has been postponed. The new date will be announced shortly. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause,” the statement read.

Speaking on the development, the chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and former national president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Abdulateef Owoyemi, said the postponement was the direct result of the intervention of the state government.

Mr Owoyemi explained that the government halted the process to ensure full compliance with the 2021 Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State and the 1957 Chieftaincy Declaration governing the Awujale stool, warning that any deviation could expose the succession exercise to litigations.

The vice chairman of the ruling house, Fassy Yusuf, said the state government summoned both members of the ruling house and kingmakers to a meeting, where officials reviewed the steps already taken in the process.

According to Mr Yusuf, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, who presided over the meeting, directed that the entire process be cancelled and restarted.

He said the government identified errors in the earlier procedure and subsequently withdrew the letter that had given the ruling house 14 days to submit names of candidates.

“The meeting with the government was to ensure that everything falls in place. The government wants us to strictly adhere to the provisions of the Obas and Chiefs Law regarding the installation of the Awujale.

“So, very soon, we are going to receive another letter from the local government and begin the process afresh. The earlier letter, which gave the ruling house 14 days to submit candidates, has been withdrawn.

“The family will meet, review the situation, and take it from there. We have to follow the guidelines laid down by the government,” The Punch quoted Mr Yusuf as saying.

Mr Yusuf added that about 60 princes are currently vying for the Awujale stool, making it necessary for the process to be transparent, orderly and free from legal defects.

Ongoing rancour

The succession process for the Awujale of Ijebuland has been fraught with tension and legal manoeuvring since the death of the late Awujale in July, ending his 65-year reign as one of Nigeria’s longest-serving traditional rulers.

Under the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration and the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law, four ruling houses, Anikinaiya, Fidipote, Fusengbuwa and Gbelegbuwa, are entitled to produce candidates for the throne in a rotational order.

Although Fusengbuwa Ruling House is widely regarded as next in line, the process has been complicated by internal disagreements and competing claims from rival families.

Earlier in December, the Fidipote Ruling House formally wrote to the Ogun State Government, arguing that Fusengbuwa had forfeited its right to nominate a candidate by failing to submit names within the 14-day period stipulated by law. The Fidipote family urged the government to disqualify Fusengbuwa and allow it to proceed with its own nomination process.

The Fidipote ruling house counts Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as KWAM 1, among its prominent princes. KWAM 1 has openly expressed interest in the Awujale stool, but as a member of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, a move that has attracted national attention and intensified scrutiny of the succession process.

However, Fusengbuwa leaders have rejected Mr Ayinde’s claim to the throne, insisting that he does not belong to a recognised branch of their ruling house and declaring his nomination form invalid.

These competing claims, alongside the large number of princes, estimated at more than 60, seeking the throne, have heightened fears of prolonged litigation if the process is not handled strictly in line with statutory and customary provisions.

It was against this backdrop of rivalry, petitions and looming court battles that the Ogun State Government intervened, halted the ongoing nomination exercise and ordered a fresh process aimed at ensuring full compliance with the law.