…Voids tomorrow’s Press Conference as Government interference to disrupt family structure
Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, the Olori Ebi (family head) of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu-Ode, has described as a “ploy” a press conference scheduled for Sunday, September 20, 2026, which he alleged is intended to announce the emergence of another Olori Ebi for the ruling house.
Owoyemi, whose ruling house is traditionally next in turn to present a candidate for the Awujale stool spoke in an exclusive interview with an Eagle 102.5 FM reporter on Saturday.
He alleged that the Ogun State Government was sponsoring some individuals within the ruling house to frustrate and derail the process for selecting the next Awujale of Ijebuland.
According to him, the planned press conference was part of an attempt to undermine the existing leadership structure of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and create a parallel process for selecting a candidate for the vacant stool.
Owoyemi insisted that, as the recognised Olori Ebi of the ruling house, the family had already completed its internal nomination process in accordance with the applicable traditional and legal procedures.
He explained that the ruling house was given 14 days to complete its internal nomination exercise but concluded the process within 10 days, after which it submitted the required documents and the names of its nominated candidates to the Awujale kingmakers.
He said the kingmakers were thereafter expected to complete their own stage of the process within seven days and present a single candidate to the Ogun State Governor for approval and enthronement.
The Olori Ebi expressed concern over what he described as the prolonged delay in filling the Awujale stool, which has remained vacant since the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona on July 13, 2025, after 65 years on the throne.
Owoyemi also alleged that some individuals within the family were being encouraged by persons whom he described as interested parties within the Ogun State Government to initiate a parallel process capable of undermining the authority of the ruling house.
He maintained that any meeting, decision or announcement purporting to select another candidate outside the process already completed by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House would be invalid.
The development comes amid an ongoing legal dispute over the stalled process for selecting the next Awujale.
The Fusengbuwa Ruling House had earlier instituted Suit No. HCJ/149/2026 before the Ogun State High Court, Ijebu-Ode, seeking orders compelling the Governor, the kingmakers and other parties to conclude the selection process.
The case has been adjourned to September 23, 2026, following the return of the matter by a vacation judge to the administrative judge for reassignment.
In a related development, the leadership of the ruling house instituted another suit on September 16, 2026, against some members of the family over what it described as attempts to parade themselves as leaders of the ruling house or interfere with its established leadership structure.
The new suit is numbered HCJ/167/2026.
The ruling house has maintained that it completed its part of the selection process within the stipulated period, while alleging that the subsequent stage was halted following petitions and security reports which, according to the ruling house, were not made available to it.
The latest development is expected to further intensify the dispute over the process and authority for determining the next occupant of the revered Awujale stool.
