The Adenuga family of the Fusengbuwa ruling house has declared that the succession to the Awujale stool of Ijebuland is not an open contest, insisting that only direct descendants of the last Awujale from the line, Oba Theophilus Tuwase Adenuga Folagbade, are entitled to the throne.
Speaking on Frontline, a currents affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, on Tuesday, Prince Bamidele Adenuga, alongside Omoba Adelaju Olusegun Adenuga, stressed that the family’s lineage gives them the exclusive right to present candidates for the revered Ijebu throne. “Everybody has the right to aspire to any post, but what I am saying is, the Awujale king is not a university where you get JAMB and apply.
It is very specific. The constitution is very clear. It is not a lottery,” Prince Bamidele declared.
Omoba Adelaju Olusegun Adenuga maintained that both tradition and the 1959 family constitution reserve succession strictly for direct male descendants of Fusengbuwa, passed down through Tuwase and Oba Folagbade.
Tracing their ancestry, he explained that the Adenugas are direct descendants of the last Awujale from the Fusengbuwa line. “I am here on behalf of the descendants of Oba Folagbade, who was the last king in the Fusengbuwa family.
Fusengbuwa has a long history; it starts from our great grace from God, Father Jadiara, who begat Fusengbuwa. From Fusengbuwa to Tuwase, and Tuwase is my grandfather—that is how it goes.
Any other person claiming to be king from that ruling house is non-existent, and history can prove me whether right or wrong,” he said.
While acknowledging internal divisions, Prince Bamidele maintained that the family remains united under a recognized head. “We have one Olori Ebi and that is Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi Ajidagba, who I respect a lot. He is a man of integrity. I am not aligning with him; I am giving him the respect that is due to him. That is Yoruba tradition,” he stated.
Omoba Adelaju reinforced this position, stressing that succession must remain within the direct line of Oba Folagbade. “We are the children and grandchildren of Oba Folagbade. We have the constitutional right to be the ones they live as Omo Oye. The situation with the Fusengbuwa ruling house is that some people have formed another set of groups. But in 1957, four ruling houses were selected to rotate the Awujale among them. When it comes to a ruling house itself, it is the progeny of the last Oba that becomes king. Just as Fusengbuwa gave Tuwase, Tuwase gave Folagbade, and now Folagbade will give his own progeny,” he explained.
He further cited the 1959 law as backing their claim. “The 1959 chapter says, first, he has to be of a male lineage. Secondly, if he doesn’t have male lineage, then it is the children of the female child born on the throne that can become king. If you can’t find a female child, then any of the other children of the Oba can become king. That is what it specifically says,” Adelaju said. He concluded: “Folagbade is the last king; he is the one to leave a progeny. There is no reason to present 200 people. It is not a lottery. We have custom and tradition. Let us look back.”
The debate over the rightful lineage for succession has deepened in recent months, with rival branches within the Fusengbuwa house laying claim to the Olori Ebi title. However, legal luminary and Ijebu historian, Prof. Fassy Yusuf, had earlier clarified in a Frontline interview that Alhaji Lateef Owoyemi is the recognized Olori Ebi of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, describing him as the custodian of the family’s authority.
The Adenuga family maintains that while Owoyemi holds the Olori Ebi title, the constitutional and historical right to produce the next Awujale rests with their branch as direct descendants of the last monarch in the Fusengbuwa line.
The princes dismissed ongoing agitations by rival groups as attempts to rewrite the Ijebu tradition, arguing that only the Folagbade descendants represent the legitimate royal line for succession. Their intervention deepens the crisis within the Fusengbuwa ruling house, where competing factions continue to lay claim to leadership and eligibility for the Awujale stool.
Author: Oluwaseyi Amosun
