On Sunday, details emerged on why the Fusengbuwa ruling house postponed the nomination meeting to choose candidates for the vacant Awujale stool, the traditional ruler of Ijebuland.
It was gathered that at least 60 princes are interested in becoming the next Awujale.
The Fusengbuwa ruling house, which is next in line to produce the Awujale after the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona in July 2025 at the age of 91, had earlier announced that the nomination meeting would hold on Monday.
The announcement was made in a letter dated December 11, 2025, and signed by the family spokesman, Abiodun Ogidan. The meeting was planned to take place at Bisrod Hall, GRA, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.
The ruling house set strict rules for the meeting, saying only accredited family members would be allowed to attend. Each candidate was to be represented by two family members — one to nominate the candidate and another to support the nomination. The candidates themselves were not to attend the meeting.
Family members and representatives were also advised to behave peacefully and respectfully because of the importance of the process.
However, in another statement released on Friday, the Nomination Committee announced that the meeting had been postponed. The statement said the postponement was due to reasons beyond the family’s control and that a new date would be announced later.
Speaking on Sunday, the Chairman of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, explained that the meeting was postponed after the state government stepped in to avoid mistakes that could lead to court cases.
Owoyemi said the ruling house was invited to a meeting by the state government on Tuesday to review the process and ensure that all rules and laws were followed. He denied claims that the postponement was linked to any individual, including Fuji musician Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde (KWAM1).
According to him, the government’s intervention was to make sure the selection process was properly done and free from legal problems.
The Vice Chairman of the ruling house, Prof. Fassy Yusuf, also confirmed that the ruling house and the kingmakers were invited to a meeting with the government on Tuesday. He said this meeting made it necessary to postpone the nomination exercise.
Prof. Yusuf added that no fewer than 60 princes are currently competing to succeed the late Oba Adetona.
He explained that some important steps were yet to be completed, and the government wanted to ensure everything was in order. The outcome of the meeting would determine when the nomination meeting would be held.
Oba Sikiru Adetona ruled Ijebuland for 65 years before his death in July 2025. The process to choose his successor gained momentum after the local government reportedly gave the ruling house 14 days to present candidates for the throne.
