How Tinubu’s Alleged Vested Interests Stall Announcement of Awujale Designate

How Tinubu’s Alleged Vested Interests Stall Announcement of Awujale Designate

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The process of selecting a new Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland may face further delay, amid allegations of political interests and internal divisions within the ruling house traditionally responsible for producing the monarch.

Investigations suggest that the announcement of an Oba-designate by the Ogun State Government has been stalled by a combination of unresolved succession disputes and alleged high-level political considerations.

The Awujale’s stool became vacant following the death of Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona on July 13, 2025. Since then, expectations among the Ijebu people had been that the process of naming a successor would progress swiftly in line with custom and state regulations.

Sources familiar with the succession process said Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State had earlier sought clarity from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on whether the Presidency had any preference regarding the emergence of the next Awujale.

According to the sources, the President initially indicated that he had no interest in the matter and that traditional processes, including Ifa consultation, should prevail.

However, developments within the Fusegbuwa Ruling House, which is next in line to present a candidate, reportedly complicated the process. The Deputy Olori Ebi of the ruling house, Prof. Fassy Yusuf, had disclosed that over 60 princes were eligible for the stool, a situation that made it difficult for the family to agree on a consensus candidate.

As a result, the Ogun State Government was said to have suspended the ruling house indefinitely, following allegations of corruption and bribery involving the Olori Ebi council. The family reportedly failed to meet the 14-day ultimatum given to it to submit a shortlist of candidates, raising questions over whether it had constitutionally forfeited its turn.

A source privy to the political undercurrents surrounding the succession said that after an initial assurance of neutrality, the issue was revisited during a later meeting between the governor and the President.

“The governor again asked if the President had any interest in who becomes the Awujale,” the source said. “At that point, the President was said to have signified interest in a candidate, though not publicly.”

The source added that rumours within political and traditional circles point to Hon. Ademorin Kuye, a serving member of the House of Representatives, as the alleged preferred candidate of the President. Kuye, according to the source, has been telling associates that he enjoys presidential backing, a claim that has not been officially confirmed.

The same source further alleged that tensions arose over perceived political reciprocity, with claims that the President warned against announcing a preferred candidate of the governor for the Awujale stool under the prevailing circumstances.

Dr. Kunle Hassan, a renowned ophthalmic surgeon, is widely believed in political circles to be Governor Abiodun’s preferred candidate, though the state government has made no formal declaration on the matter.

“It was against this background that the governor became constrained,” the source said. “Proceeding with the announcement risked escalating political tensions, especially given the alleged interests at the federal level.”

Consequently, although the government was said to be considering moving the selection process to another ruling house due to the failure of Fusegbuwa to present a consensus candidate, the final announcement has reportedly been put on hold.

Neither the Presidency nor the Ogun State Government has officially commented on the allegations, as uncertainty continues to trail the emergence of the next Awujale of Ijebuland.