As the race for the throne of Awujale of Ijebuland,hots up,not fewer than 95 people, consisting of 94 princes and one princess from the Fusengbuwa ruling house of Ijebu Ode, emerged on Monday as contestants for the vacant stool of the paramount ruler of Ijebu land.
The contestants emerged at a nomination meeting held by the ruling house at Bisrod Hall, GRA, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
The nomination meeting was presided over by the Chairman of the ruling house, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi; his deputy, Prince Adedokun Ajidagba; and the Vice Chairman, Prof. Fassy Yusuf.
The Secretary to the Ijebu Ode Local Government, Abiodun Oke, and some other local government officials were present as observers.
Dr Kunle Hassan a renowned opthamologist,founder of Eye Foundation,Lagos big boy,Omooba Abimbola Onabanjo,Ijebu Businessman,Olabode Onanuga, CEO of Aroon Construction company, Fatai Arowolo, Biodun Onanuga, husband of the immediate past Deputy Governor of Ogun State, are among the 95 princes and princess who have indicated interest in occupying the vacant throne of the Awujale of Ijebuland.
The contestants at the nomination meeting were represented by two of their relatives.
One of the relations moved the motion for the nomination, while the other seconded it, after which the family registered the nomination as accepted.
Speaking with journalists at the end of the nomination meeting, the family head of Fusengbuwa, Owoyemi, lauded family members for conducting themselves peacefully and ensuring that nothing untoward occurred that could jeopardise the nomination process.
Owoyemi said that, just as the Ifa oracle had foretold, the family was working across the board to ensure that whoever would assume the vacant Awujale stool would further take Ijebu land to greater heights.
The family head and former President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria said, “We thank God that what we have feared so much has finally come and gone peacefully.
“We have successfully, peacefully and harmoniously nominated our candidates, 95 of them. It is now left in the hands of the kingmakers to do a very good job conscientiously and pick one of them as the next Awujale.
“The Fusengbuwa family has done a lot of traditional research through the Ifa oracle to guide us on what should be done, and we have no doubt that the kingmakers are going to select the person that the Almighty God himself has appointed. We believe that, by God’s grace, in the next one month, we should have the next Awujale.”
Owoyemi also said that the contestants had earlier signed an agreement to accept the outcome of the selection process and not pursue litigation, adding that the family expected each contestant to abide by the agreement.
He further said that the ruling house believed the government would do the right thing and “pick for the family the Awujale that has been foretold would make Ijebu land the biggest and greatest. We believe God will guide them aright.”
Recall that the selection of a new Awujale has, for some time, generated considerable interest, with Ayinde, popularly called KWAM1, also declaring interest in the throne.
The Fusengbuwa family, the ruling house to produce the next Awujale, however, declared that the legendary Fuji musician was not a member of the family and therefore could not be allowed to be part of the selection process.
Ayinde had approached the state High Court sitting in Ijebu Ode, seeking an interim injunction restraining Governor Dapo Abiodun and six others from proceeding with the selection process of the new Awujale.
The court refused to grant the injunction, holding that the application lacked merit.
Ayinde, through his lawyer, however, withdrew the suit, although no tangible reason was offered.
In a recent letter dated January 8 and written to Governor Abiodun by Dr Wahab Shittu, SAN, lawyer to the musician, it was stated that the Ijebu Ode Local Government, through a letter written by its Secretary, Abiodun Oke, dated January 6, 2026, gave the government’s nod for the ruling house to kick off the selection process of the new paramount ruler of Ijebu land.
He stated that it was surprising that, while members of the family were preparing for the meeting, one Prince Adeleye Lateef Ademuyiwa, the Public Relations Officer of the family, issued a notice directing candidates to pick up nomination cards and appear before a screening committee under the chairmanship of Prince Alhaji Mitiu Adenuga.
Ayinde further stated that the directive fixed the nomination exercise for Monday, January 12, 2026, but also directed that the exercise would be conducted by delegates to be selected at a meeting scheduled for January 10, 2026.
Shittu said, “It is a matter of deep concern to our client that all the illegal directives that are unknown to the Chieftaincy Declaration, Obas and Chiefs Law, and the letter of the Secretary of Ijebu Ode Local Government were included in the letter of the family to the local government dated January 6, 2026.
“It is clear that there are plans by the leadership of the ruling house to disenfranchise members of the ruling house desirous of participating in the exercise of nomination of candidates to fill the vacancy occurring in the stool of Awujale of Ijebu land.”
The lawyer said his client took exception to the directive from the family, as it was obvious that the ruling house was determined to exclude him from contesting for the throne.
When contacted, the Vice Chairman of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, Prof. Fassy Yusuf, confirmed receipt of the letter but described it as “arrant nonsense” and a misguided letter of no consequence to the ongoing selection process.Here is a list of the names of contestants for the throne of Awujale,of Ijebuland.
AWUJALE CANDIDATES LIST OF FUSENGBUWA RULING HOUSE 1. Prince Ayodeji Osibogun 2. Prince Oluwatosin Osunsanya 3. Prince Abimbola John Onabanjo 4. Prince Adeleke Muyiwa 5. Prince Adekunle Adeite 6. Princess Oluwakemi Onanuga 7. Prince Babatunde Williams 8. Prince Aderibigbe Morounfolu 9. Prince Bello 10. Prince Adekoya Eleruja Adetokunbo 11. Prince Odedina Taiwo Abiodun 12. Prince Gbadebo Adeyinka Alli Adebambo 13. Prince Ogunwo Adebowale Emmanuel 14. Prince Adebisi Abayomi Kadiri 15. Prince Hassan Adekunle 16. Prince Akintola Olufemi Adewunmi 17. Prince Olabode Onanuga 18. Prince Yusuf Abimbola Olugbenga 19. Prince Kuye Ademorin 20. Prince Olamilekan Badiru 21. Prince Odubiyi Olufemi Adeboye 22. Prince Abdul Rasheed Kukoyi 23. Prince Otun Olaseni Samisideen 24. Prince Kayode Adenuga 25. Prince Adeleke Seun Onanuga 26. Prince Olanrewaju Mabawonku 27. Prince Adeyemi Akeem Adeleke 28. Prince Nurudeen Akeju 29. Prince Adeleke Akeem Adewale 30. Prince Olaide Hassan Asiru 31. Prince Oriola Olawale Yusuf 32. Prince Ajibola Obajimi 33. Prince Aderibigbe Azeez Ademola 34. Prince Arowolo Fatai Olusegun 35. Prince Alatise Babatunde Saheed 36. Bakare Abiodun Abimbola Adeleke 37. Prince Olukoku Bisiriyu Adedeji 38. Prince Oludamisi Tuyo 39. Prince Olajide Taiwo 40. Prince Adeyinka Bakare 41. Prince Adebola Kazeem 42. Prince Adeleke Olumuyiwa Oriyomi 43. Prince Abimbola Oluwafemi Ibrahim 44. Prince Adeyemi Abdul Adekunle 45. Prince Shakiru Bello Ademola 46. Prince Sherifdeen Mohammed Kazeem 47. Prince Adeleke Ibrahim Adebiyi 48. Prince Adebayo Idowu Williams 49. Prince Ajibola Taofeek Olufeko 50. Prince Olalekan Saheed 51. Prince Bello Olasupo Adewale Abiodun 52. Prince Bashorun Akeem Adetola 53. Prince Tajudeen Bello 54. Prince Adegboyega Banjoko 55. Prince Abdulwaheed Adewale Shote . 56. Prince Gawaldeen Abdul 57. Prince Odejayi Akintunde Olawale 58. Prince Osibogun Ayodele 59. Prince Olalekan Shote 60. Prince Mustapha Mojeed 61. Prince Adegbenga Bakare 62. Prince Adebiyi Fetuga 63. Prince Adeyemi Olumuyiwa 64. Prince Okeowo Olusegun Obafemi 65. Prince Qudus Omolaja 66. Prince Shote Kazeem Olawale 67. Prince Olatunji Christopher Adewale 68. Prince Olatunji Jacob Adewale 69. Prince Adebowale Olufeko 70. Prince Muodeen Abimbola 71. Prince Bamidele Adenuga 72. Prince Ogidan Adesanya Adewale 73. Prince Adefuwape Adegboyega Abimbola 74. Prince Oduwole Olasupo Tajudeen 75. Prince Adelaju Adenuga 76. Prince Odedina Christian Oluwatobi 77. Prince Adekunle Adenuga 78. Prince Sulaimon Odubanjo 79. Prince Adeleye Ibrahim Adeyemi 80. Prince Otun Abubakre Taiwo 81. Prince Olajubu Olalekan 82. Prince Lekan Abdul Adebisi 83. Prince Odedina Olukayode Ibitoye 84. Prince Osunsanya Oladapo Oluwatosin 85. Prince Abiodun Onanuga 86. Prince Mufutaudeen Adebiyi Abimbola (no profile) 87. Prince Kamaldeen Omotayo Lawal (no profile) 88. Prince Adeleke Oluwasegun Abimbola (no profile) 89. Prince Tajudeen Abolanle Abimbola (no profile) 90. Prince Olukayode Odedina (no profile) 91. Prince Babatunde Abimbola Ahmed (no profile) 92. Missed 93. Missed 94. Missed 95. Missed
