The Ogun State Government has stepped into the ongoing succession process for the vacant Awujale stool of Ijebu land, following the postponement of the nomination meeting earlier scheduled by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.
The nomination exercise, which was to take place on Monday at Bisrod Hall, GRA, Ijebu-Ode, was suspended after the ruling house received a directive from the state government to attend a meeting aimed at reviewing the process and ensuring compliance with existing laws.
Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, who is also a former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), explained that the postponement was necessary to avoid procedural errors that could lead to litigation.
“The postponement of the nomination meeting has nothing to do with any individual, far from that. What actually happened is that we received a summons from the state government for a meeting on Tuesday. The meeting is to ensure that everything is done correctly so that the selection process does not become a fertile ground for litigation or generate legal controversy,” he said.
Owoyemi stressed that the intervention was welcomed by the ruling house, noting that it would help maintain standards and ensure the process was flawless.
He dismissed suggestions that the decision was connected to the reported interest of Fuji musician, Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as KWAM1, reiterating that he was not a member of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and therefore not eligible to contest.
Vice Chairman of the ruling house, Professor Fassy Yusuf of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), confirmed that both the ruling house and the kingmakers had been invited to meet with the government alongside the Awujale Interregnum Committee.
He disclosed that no fewer than 60 princes had expressed interest in succeeding the late Oba Sikiru Adetona, who reigned for 65 years before his death in July.
“There are certain things we have not done, so the government has scheduled a meeting with us for Tuesday. The government will meet with the ruling house, the kingmakers, and the Awujale Interregnum Committee. It is to ensure that everything is in order, and it is the outcome of this meeting that will determine when the nomination meeting will be held,” Yusuf said. He added that claims linking the postponement to any individual were “mischievous and spreading falsehood.”
The succession process has gained urgency following a directive from the local government giving the ruling house 14 days to submit the names of candidates for the throne.
The intervention by the state government is expected to shape the next steps in the selection of a successor to Oba Adetona, whose reign remains one of the longest in Nigeria’s traditional history.
