Awujale: Royal family seeks recognition in selection process

The Bubiade Royal Family of Ijebu-Ode has called for fairness and recognition of its customary rights in the ongoing process to select a new Awujale of Ijebuland, insisting that its lineage deserves the opportunity to produce the next monarch.

Speaking at a briefing in Ijebu-Ode, the Olori-Ebi of the family, Alhaji Olaide Yusuf Busura, said the appeal was necessary to address what he described as a long-standing historical imbalance in the royal lineage of the Awujale stool.

Busura explained that the Bubiade lineage traces its ancestry directly to Oba Jadiara, a past Awujale, noting that Bubiade was his first child. According to him, another child, Funsegbuwa, later produced Tunwase, whose descendants have historically produced several Awujales.

He said historical records show that the throne within the Jadiara royal family had circulated repeatedly among the descendants of Funsegbuwa and Tunwase, while the Bubiade lineage had never had the opportunity to ascend the throne.

Busura listed past monarchs from the other branches, including Oba Funsegbuwa, Adesimbo Tunwase, Adekoya Eleruja and Adenuga Folagbade, who became Awujale in 1925.

“While the descendants of Funsegbuwa and Tunwase have produced several kings over the years, the Bubiade branch has never been given the opportunity to occupy the throne despite being direct descendants of Jadiara,” Busura said.

He noted that the ongoing selection process offers an opportunity to correct the imbalance, adding that about eight eligible princes had emerged from the Bubiade lineage compared with roughly 75 candidates from other branches.

“This imbalance illustrates the fundamental issue before us. A lineage that has never been given the opportunity now faces competition from lineages that have already had repeated opportunities over centuries,” he said.

The family also raised constitutional concerns, citing provisions of the Ogun State Chiefs Law 2021 and warning that any interpretation excluding Bubiade descendants could conflict with Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which prohibits discrimination based on circumstances of birth.

Busura stressed that in Yoruba traditional governance, kingship is not an automatic inheritance but a process of customary selection among eligible princes from recognised royal lineages.

The family appealed to the regent of Ijebu-Ode, Sunny Kuku, kingmakers, traditional rulers across Ijebu land and the Ijebu-Ode Local Government authorities to ensure fairness in the process.

“It is not a departure from tradition but a restoration of fairness within tradition,” he said, urging sons and daughters of Ijebu to uphold justice and unity to maintain peace in the kingdom.

The Ogun State Government had, for the second time, suspended the selection process in January following petitions from security agencies and other stakeholders.

The Awujale stool became vacant in July 2025 after the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona at the age of 91 after a 65-year reign.

A total of 95 aspirants — 94 princes and one princess from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House — emerged during a nomination meeting held at Bisrod Hall, GRA, Ijebu-Ode. The kingmakers, led by Kuku, were preparing to begin the selection process when the state government announced the suspension.

The head of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Abdulateef Owoyemi, has urged Governor Dapo Abiodun to allow the kingmakers to complete their assignment, noting growing frustration among members of the royal family and Ijebu indigenes at home and in the diaspora.

Owoyemi commended the governor for his support so far but stressed that distractions should not hinder the completion of the Awujale selection process.