Indigenes and residents of Ijebu Ode staged a peaceful protest on Friday, marching from the Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona Archway towards the Ijebu Ode Local Government Headquarters in opposition to what they described as attempts by “powerful interests” to influence the selection of the next Awujale.
This is coming after the Ogun State Government, in a circular dated January 20, 2026, barred the kingmakers from advancing the selection process of a candidate from the 95 nominees submitted by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.
Fusengbuwa, one of the four ruling houses of Ijebu Ode, is next in line to fill the vacant Awujale stool.
The stool became vacant in July last year following the demise of 91-year-old Oba Sikiru Adetona, who reigned for 65 years.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as: “Fusengbuwa say no to imposition”, “Let Ifa oracle determine the next Awujale”, “Let the kingmakers do their job; we say no to imposition”, among others.
Mrs. Adenugba Obileye, who led the peaceful protest, said the march was intended to express the community’s displeasure over what she described as “thickening plots to interfere with the job of the kingmakers” and to prevent the installation of an Awujale who does not emerge through due process.
“We are here to register our displeasure and demand that the kingmakers be allowed to perform their constitutional duty without interference. The people of Ijebu will not accept any attempt to impose a candidate outside the traditional process,” Mrs. Obileye said.
Obileye, who is also the Aremobinrin Jadiara, said, “We are at the Ijebu Ode Local Government secretariat to register our displeasure over the closure of the palace and the alleged plan to impose the next Awujale on us.
“Fusengbuwa ruling house rejects any plan of imposition. The Awujale stool is sacred and should not be filled for political considerations. We don’t want a political Awujale. The Ijebu kingdom has a rich cultural heritage that should not be undermined. We have the Ifa oracle in our family, so the government should allow it to select the right candidate, rather than impose a foreigner. The government should allow the kingmakers to do their job. We are not against the government, but there should be no unnecessary interference in the ongoing selection process.”
Also speaking, Olubunmi Adesanya, another member of the ruling house, urged the government to respect the traditional selection process, saying “We plead with the government not to impose the next Awujale on us. The kingmakers and the Ifa oracle should be allowed to select the candidate. We reject imposition in every form and request our chairman to convey this to the government”.
