Religious and traditional leaders in Ijebuland have urged Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun to lift the embargo on the selection of the next Awujale and allow the process to be concluded.
The appeal was made on Sunday by the Lord Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Ijebu, Rt. Rev. Dr Peter Rotimi Oludipe; the Chief Imam of Ijebuland, Sheikh Muftaudeen Ayanbadejo; and the head of Osugbo in Ijebu-Ode, Chief Bolanle Bakare.
The trio spoke during the inauguration of 52 borehole projects in Ijebu-Ode, donated by Abimbola Onabanjo and his wife, Abayomi.
The religious leaders said the prolonged absence of an Awujale had become a source of concern, urging the governor to allow the kingmakers to complete the process of selecting a successor to the late Oba Sikiru Adetona.
Oludipe said the selection process had been stalled by the state government and appealed to Abiodun to remove the restriction.
“All of us are aware that the delay is caused by the state government. It’s the governor that has put a kind of a stop to the arrangement of those who are supposed to be in charge of selecting the Awujale,” he said.
“So we are looking forward to the governor lifting that ban very soon, so that the process can come to a conclusion that will be acceptable to all.”
The bishop described the kingmakers as people of integrity who should be allowed to discharge their responsibilities.
He said the absence of a monarch was undesirable for Ijebuland, which he described as a prominent and widely respected community.
“Our own appeal to the governor is that this ban should be lifted at the earliest possible time, and let’s allow the process to run to conclusion, by the grace of God,” Oludipe added.
He said religious leaders were concerned because they were also members of the community and had been receiving questions about the delay in installing a new Awujale.
“We don’t want any delay. There should not really be a vacuum, particularly when you think of Ijebuland,” he said.
“Ijebu is so popular among several communities within the country, Nigeria. So many people are interested. So many people are asking us, ‘What is happening? Why is the Awujale not being installed?’”
While acknowledging that the government might have reasons for suspending the process, Oludipe urged it to allow the selection to reach its conclusion in the interest of the people.
Ayanbadejo said he remained confident that a new Awujale would eventually emerge, but urged the government to respond to the wishes of the people.
He recalled that he had previously called on Muslim clerics to join him in appealing to the governor over the delay.
“Time belongs to Allah. When the time comes, it will happen. But that does not mean that something concrete should not be done on time. We all believe that one day, that prayer will come to pass. It will come to fruition,” the Chief Imam said.
He urged Abiodun to trust the kingmakers, whom he described as men of integrity selected because of their experience and pedigree.
“My advice to the government is that they should follow the voice of our people. Because, in the opinion of the people, they are behind the kingmakers. These are men of integrity, all of them,” Ayanbadejo said.
“Awujale chose them because they are kingmakers and persons with pedigree. Whatever they say in Ijebuland, nobody can go against them.”
The Chief Imam also appealed to the governor to ensure that the new monarch was installed before the end of his tenure.
“We are still imploring our governor. The time is still there. We want our governor to be the governor that will sign the certificate. We want the governor to be the governor that will present the staff of office. This is his chance,” he said.
Bakare, who said his Idewon community benefited from the borehole initiative, also appealed to the government to lift the ban.
“We are all waiting for the installation of the new Awujale. We are therefore using this medium to beg the state government to allow the process of selecting the new Awujale to be concluded on time without further delays,” he said.
“We all want a new Awujale. We are sincerely hoping and praying that the government will lift the embargo and allow the new Awujale to emerge on time. We have waited enough.”
The leaders also commended the Onabanjos for providing 52 boreholes across Ijebu-Ode.
Oludipe described the project as a “beautiful and laudable” intervention, noting that access to potable water was essential to the well-being of residents.
The project coordinator, Mrs Funmi Ayanwusi, said the initiative was intended to provide clean water to communities across Ijebu-Ode.
An 89-year-old retired civil servant and Chairman of the Ijebu-Ode Council of Olorituns, Alhaji Adebisi Alausa, described the project as unprecedented in his lifetime.
The succession dispute has also reached the courts. The Funsengbuwa ruling house recently sued Governor Abiodun, the Awujale kingmakers and five others, including the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Dare Alebiosu, before the High Court in Ijebu-Ode.
The suit seeks orders compelling the authorities to complete the process for selecting the next Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.
The Awujale stool became vacant in July 2025 following the death of Oba Adetona at the age of 91, after 65 years on the throne.
The state government halted the selection process in January 2026, citing petitions from security agencies and stakeholders. The decision followed an earlier suspension in December 2025 over alleged procedural concerns.
Before the latest halt, 95 aspirants—94 princes and one princess—had emerged from the ruling house nomination exercise conducted in Ijebu-Ode.
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