Members of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, on Sunday removed three of its leaders over allegations of financial inducement, document manipulation, and lack of due process in the selection of the next Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.
Those removed include the family’s Chairman, Abdulateef Owoyemi; his Vice-Chairman, Prof. Fassy Yusuf; and the Deputy Chairman, Adeodokun Ajidagba.
The committee was chaired by Olusegun Olusoga while Adeyemo Oduneye served as its secretary.
The decision was announced at a meeting held at the Agunsebi Family House, Ijebu Ode, and presided over by the Secretary of the ruling house, Adeleke Adeyemi.
Adeyemi announced the removal after the submission of a 25-page report by a nine-member Fact-Finding Committee set up by the family to investigate allegations of financial inducement and other alleged irregularities against the trio.
The committee was reportedly constituted in June 2026 after petitions containing allegations of bribery, among others, were filed against the three leaders in connection with the selection process for the new Awujale.
Presenting the report, Oduneye said only Owoyemi appeared before the committee, while Ajidagba and Yusuf declined its invitation.
Oduneye said, among other things, the committee found the process of compiling and submitting the candidates’ list lacked transparency, due process, proper screening and a unified approach.
“There is a manifest breakdown of unity, communication, and cohesion among the trio acclaimed Olori-Ebis. The chairman, deputy-chairman and vice-chairman, in utter disregard for the statutory classification of candidates as set out in the Awujale Declaration, refused and/or neglected to classify the candidates into either male line, female line or those candidates born through Awujale Folagbade before he ascended the throne.
“This is an unpardonable and deliberate dereliction of sacred duty bestowed upon the Fusengbuwa ruling house anchored by the chairman, deputy-chairman and vice-chairman who usurped the powers of the whole ruling house,” he stated.
Among other recommendations, the committee called on Owoyemi, Ajidagba and Yusuf to step aside from their respective positions in the interest of peace, unity and respect for the Awujale institution.
The family subsequently adopted the committee’s report and voted for the immediate removal of the three leaders.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Adeyemi said the family unanimously removed the three leaders based on the findings of the fact-finding committee concerning alleged bribery in the selection process for the new Awujale.
He explained that “the fact-finding committee investigated issues within the ruling house and found that most of the Olorebis were involved in malpractices such as bribery.
“The committee presented its findings at today’s meeting, and the ruling house reached a unanimous decision that they should be removed.”
Adeyemi said the family would communicate its decision to the government and commence the process of finding someone capable of leading the ruling house.
Also speaking with journalists, Oduneye said the three family leaders had committed several administrative errors, particularly “the issue of financial inducement, supporting candidates, and engaging in some manipulation of documents that had been submitted without following the due process.”
He said the selection process for the Awujale, as handled by the three leaders, lacked credibility and that they therefore had to be removed while the family looked for new leadership to oversee the selection of the next Awujale.
Oduneye said it would not matter if the removal of the family leaders meant starting the selection process afresh, as long as the process was conducted with integrity and produced an Awujale who would serve the interests of Ijebuland.
“It all boils down to the leadership failure, so the Ijebu people need to relax and be patient. It’s better we do it well than to rush at it and present wrong results,” Oduneye said.
Responding on behalf of the affected family leaders, Yusuf urged the public to ignore the family members, describing them as “a bunch of rabble rousers and confusionists.”
Yusuf said there was no iota of truth in their submission and that he would not hesitate to take them to court for defamation.
He also questioned Adeyemi’s role, alleging that the secretary who presided over the meeting was himself an aspirant to the throne.
“How could somebody under you set up a panel to probe you? Probe you for what? Who are they?
“If they defame me, I will take them to court. They will come to court and prove whatever allegation they have against me. I was not part of those who compiled the list of candidates.
“They used my office; I did not even see them, I did not even step inside, deliberately, because that’s my life. They used my conference room for the compilation. They are rabble-rousers,” he lamented.
Owoyemi also faulted the committee’s report and denied any wrongdoing in the Awujale selection process.
He said they were “a bunch of rebels,” adding that their decision “lacks substance” and that they were only interested in splitting the family, as he questioned how Adeyemi, whom he described as a candidate, could preside over the meeting.
“Their allegations are baseless, unfounded and should be ignored by members of the public”, Owoyemi said.
Efforts to, however, get the reaction of Ajidagba proved abortive as his phone was said to be switched off.
The Awujale stool became vacant in July 2025 following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona at the age of 91, after 65 years on the throne.
The Ogun State Government had earlier halted the selection process in January 2026, citing petitions from security agencies and stakeholders, following an earlier suspension over procedural concerns in December 2025.
A total of 95 aspirants – 94 princes and one princess – emerged from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House nomination process held in Ijebu Ode.
(Punch)
