Vice Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu-Ode, Professor Fassy Adetokunboh Yusuf, Wednesday, stated that the Ogun state government lacks the legal authority to suspend the selection process to fill the vacant Awujale stool.
Prof. Yusuf, who doubles as the Baagbimo of Ijebu, stated this at a press conference organised by the Grand Council of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to address recent controversies and speculations surrounding the leadership of the ruling house and the suspended Awujale selection process.
The Ogun state government had, on December 11, 2025, suspended the Awujale selection process, citing “procedural errors” and possible violations of the law.
The state government later lifted the suspension on January 6, 2026, only to suspend the process again on January 20, 2026, citing the need to “maintain public order, protect the integrity of the process, and maintain the veneration of the stool,”,after receiving petitions challenging the process.
On both occasions, the state government justified the suspension and insisted it had legal authority for the actions under the Obas and Chiefs’ Law of Ogun state, 2021.
Professor Yusuf, however said the state government had no legal authority to suspend the Awujale selection process, adding the ruling house will file a lawsuit to challenge the government’s action.
He added that the Fusengbuwa Ruling House had, on May 3, 2026, sent an open letter to the state government demanding an end to the embargo on the Awujale selection process.
Meanwhile, the chairman and Olori Ebi of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, Otunba Lateef Owoyemi, has called for the prompt resumption of the Awujale selection process, saying that it was long overdue for the state government to reinstate the process.
Otunba Owoyemi, a former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), said the entire Ijebu land is worried about the lingering limbo on the vacant Awujale stool, while expressing optimism that the process would resume in the next few weeks.
He stated that the Fusengbuwa Ruling House had completed its duties in the Awujale selection process by submitting the names of the eligible aspirants to the kingmakers.
He further stated that the 13 kingmakers are expected to scrutinise the aspirants and, by a majority decision, recommend a single candidate to the state government for approval.