LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- A fresh twist has emerged in the unfolding royal succession story in Ijebuland as the Fusengbuwa Ruling House announced a last-minute postponement of its much-anticipated nomination meeting for the next Awujale.
The meeting, earlier scheduled to hold on Monday, December 15, 2025, was expected to kick-start the formal process of producing a successor to the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, who passed away in July 2025 at the age of 91.
However, the ruling house has now put the process on hold.
In an official statement addressed to its members and signed by the Fusengbuwa Nomination Committee, the family cited unavoidable reasons for the delay.
The statement read, “Due to circumstances beyond the family’s control, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House Awujale Nomination Meeting scheduled for Monday, 15th December 2025, has been postponed. The new date will be announced shortly. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Confirming the development, Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, explained that the postponement was necessary to allow for better preparation as the family moves into a sensitive and historic phase.
While the delay has sparked conversations across Ijebu-Ode, traditional authorities are already setting the tone for how the selection process should unfold. The Baamofin of Ijebuland, AbdulWasiu Oduwole, has urged kingmakers to maintain neutrality and shun corruption as the process officially begins.
Speaking to journalists in Ijebu-Ode, Oduwole stressed that the succession must strictly follow existing laws and customs. He reaffirmed that the Chiefs Law of 1957 governs the emergence of an Awujale, providing for rotation among the four ruling houses and recognising both male and female lines of descent.
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“The law is flexible, if a candidate cannot be found from the male line, the female line may be considered. The door is not closed to women; a male child from the female line is also qualified. The determining factor is legitimacy within the ruling house, not gender,” Oduwole said.
He further clarified that the presentation of the staff of office to the ruling house signals the formal transfer of responsibility to the family, which must collaborate with the kingmakers to produce a qualified candidate.
“The rotational structure for the Awujale stool has been in place since 1957. There is a declaration that clearly outlines the rotation among the ruling houses and the procedures for selecting a new Awujale. Everything must be done strictly in line with the law, the declaration, and the established customs relating to the ascension of an Awujale,” he added.
Addressing recent concerns over documents circulated among kingmakers and family heads, Oduwole explained that he acted on long-standing instructions from the late Prince Adebisi Obanlefa, a former Olori Ebi of the Fusengbuwa ruling house.
“In 1995, the late Baba Obanlefa entrusted some papers to me with clear instructions that if he passed on before the turn of the Fusengbuwa family to produce the Awujale, I should hand them over to the family. I have now fulfilled that promise,” he revealed.
According to him, the documents outline three recognised succession sections under the law, the Abidagba male, the Abidagba female, and the Abidoye.
With the nomination meeting now postponed, anticipation continues to build across Ijebuland as the historic throne awaits its next occupant.
