The selection of the next Awujale will follow the rotational system among four ruling Houses as provided by the governing chieftaincy legal instruments.
There are 13 kingmakers recognised by the chieftaincy declarations.
The process follows the Western State Chieftaincy Declarations issued under Section 4(2) of the Chiefs Law of 1957, establishing the customary law regulating the selection of the Awujale of Ijebuland chieftaincy.
Section 1 of the declarations established the four ruling houses entitled to produce the Awujale as Gbelegbuwa, Anikinaiya, Fusengbuwa, and Fidipote.
The order is as follows: Anikinaiya, Fusengbuwa, Fidipote, and Gbelegbuwa, which the declarations described as “the last ruling house”.
The Fusegbuwa Ruling House is expected to produce the next Awujale of Ijebuland in November 2025, The Nation has learnt.
Fusengbuwa is next to Anikinaiya from where the Awujale of the Ijebu Kingdom, Oba Sikiru Adetona that just passed away hailed from.
Oba Adetona reigned for 65 years, from his installation on April 2, 1960, until his passing on Sunday, July 13, 2025.
Born on May 10, 1934, Oba Adetona was a prominent member of the Royal House of Anikinaiya and became one of Nigeria’s longest-reigning monarchs.
Oba Adetona, the 55th Awujale, died at 91. The deceased traditional ruler, who is the longest-reigning king of the Ijebu kingdom was buried according to Islamic rites on Monday at his Igbeba residence.
In January 2022, Governor Dapo Abiodun signed the “Obas, Chiefs, Council of Obas and Traditional Council Law of Ogun State 2021” during a ceremony at the Awujale’s palace in Ijebu-Ode.
The law includes a provision that preserves and protects the fundamental right of traditional rulers to be installed and buried according to their religious beliefs or convictions. This means that a Christian or Muslim traditional ruler in Ogun State may now legally choose a religious burial in line with their faith in addition to any required traditional rites
For the next Awujale, the candidate must be a male from the next ruling house in the line of succession, according to the chieftaincy declarations.
The process begins at a family meeting of the ruling house whose turn it is to produce the Awujale. It then progresses to the Odis and finally to the kingmakers.
It entails the ruling house nominating “at a family meeting to be summoned by the family head or family heads a candidate or candidates for the chieftaincy to be presented by the family head or family heads to the Odis.”
The kingmakers are constituted by the chiefs of four principal classes, which are the Ilamuren, Odi, Osugbo and Pampa.
The Ilamuren class has six members – the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, the Ogbeni-Oja of Ijebu-Ode, the Egbo of Ijebu-Ode, the Apebi of Ijebu-Ode, the Olotufore of Ijebu-Ode and the Olotu-Olowa of Ijebu-Ode.
The Odi class has two members – the Ogbeni-Odi-Imesi of Ijebu-Ode and the Ekeji-Odi-Iletu of Ijebu-Ode.
The Osugbo class has just one member – the Oliwo of Ijebu-Ode
Lastly, the remaining four kingmakers belong to the Pampa class, who are the Agbon of Ijebu-ode, the Kakanfo of Ijebu-Ode, the Lapoekun of Ijebu-Ode and the Balogun of Ijebu-Ode.
@Thenation
