Fresh details have emerged on why the nomination meeting to select candidates for the vacant stool of the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland was suspended by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.
It was gathered that no fewer than 60 princes are currently vying to succeed the late Awujale.
Following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona in July 2025 at the age of 91, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House—next in line to produce the Awujale—had last Thursday announced that its nomination meeting would hold on Monday.
The announcement was contained in a letter dated December 11, 2025, and signed by the family spokesperson, Abiodun Ogidan. The meeting was scheduled to take place at Bisrod Hall, GRA, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.
According to the ruling house, strict guidelines were put in place for the exercise. Only accredited family members were to be granted access, while each aspiring candidate was to be represented by two family members—one to nominate and the other to second the nomination. The candidates themselves were barred from attending the meeting.
Family members and accredited representatives were also urged to maintain peace, decorum and orderliness throughout the process, in line with the sacred nature of the exercise.
However, in a statement issued on Friday by the Nomination Committee, the ruling house announced that the meeting had been postponed.
The statement, titled *“To All Members of Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Ijebu-Ode,”* stated that the postponement was due to circumstances beyond the family’s control, adding that a new date would be communicated later.
Speaking exclusively with our correspondent on Sunday, the Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and former National President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, explained that the postponement followed an intervention by the Ogun State Government aimed at preventing procedural lapses that could lead to litigation.
Owoyemi disclosed that the ruling house had been invited to a meeting with the state government on Tuesday to review the steps taken so far and ensure strict compliance with existing laws.
He dismissed speculations linking the postponement to the reported disqualification of Fuji musician, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde (KWAM1), whom the ruling house had allegedly declared unqualified to contest.
“The postponement has nothing to do with any individual,” Owoyemi said. “We were invited by the state government to ensure that the process is properly conducted and does not become a breeding ground for legal disputes. It is simply about aligning procedures and ensuring everything is done correctly.”
Also speaking on the development, the Vice Chairman of the ruling house, Prof. Fassy Yusuf, confirmed that the ruling house, the kingmakers and the Awujale Interregnum Committee had been invited to a meeting with the government on Tuesday.
Prof. Yusuf, a Professor of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, disclosed that not fewer than 60 princes are contesting for the throne.
“There are certain processes yet to be concluded, hence the government’s intervention,” he said. “The meeting will determine when the nomination exercise will resume. Any claim that the postponement is targeted at any individual is false and misleading.”
Efforts to appoint a successor to the late Oba Sikiru Adetona, who reigned for 65 years before his passing in July 2025, intensified after the local government reportedly gave the ruling house a 14-day ultimatum to present candidates for the revered throne.
