BATTLE FOR TRUTH AND TRADITION IN THE SUCCESSION OF THE AWUJALE, FOLAGBADE VS OTHERS
BoldNEWS Africa (08024266071)
Investigative Desk
Ijebu Ode, Nigeria
As the race to determine the next Awujale of Ijebuland gains momentum following the passage of the revered Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, voices within the royal lineage are calling for vigilance, integrity, and strict adherence to customary law in selecting a successor. At the heart of the intensifying discourse is a brewing contest within the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, one of the four rotation eligible dynasties, where internal differences are threatens to cloud centuries-old tradition with modern-day power struggles.
The descendants of Oba Theophilus Adenuga Tunwase of Folagbades, have issued a detailed statement reaffirming their position as the sole legitimate line within the Fusengbuwa Ruling House eligible to present candidates for the throne.
In a signed communiqué by Prince Bamidele Adenuga (Olori Ebi) and Prince Adekunle Olufemi Adenuga (Family Secretary), and obtained by BoldNEWS Africa, the family stressed their unwavering commitment to preserving the royal heritage of Ijebuland against what they described as historical distortion and creeping politicization.
According to Folagbade’s descendants it is not merely a matter of succession, “It is about the soul of our customs, the integrity of our history, and the identity of Ijebu people.”
The ruling House from the linage of Oba Theophilus Adenuga Tunwase of Folagbades, held on with Chiefs Law of 1959, adopted into Ogun State law, and Section 4(2) thereof, which the Folagbade descendants insist codifies the primogeniture-based succession system long honored in Ijebu history.
They argue that, under customary law, succession rights within a ruling house reside exclusively within the nuclear family of the last reigning monarch from that house.
Historically, Folagbade’s descendants emphasized that only nuclear family of the last reigning monarch from that house is eligible, reference to the Ogbagba Ruling House last produced a monarch, it was the direct family of Oba Rufai Adetona that presented the candidature of Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona.
Similarly, when the Fusengbuwa House presented a king in the 19th century, it was the immediate family of Oba Fusengbuwa, specifically the Tunwase (Folagbade) line, that nominated the successor.
In recent weeks, claims have emerged from factions purporting to represent the broader Fusengbuwa Ruling House, expanding the list of eligible families to include eight alleged sub-lineages that include Osinuga, Adekenu, Olufadi, Adebiyi, Adeberu, Shenowo, Okuyendewo, and even Oba Adesimbo Tunwase, who is not historically linked to the recognized Awujale succession line.
The Folagbade camp calls this a “concocted genealogy”, accusing its proponents of manipulating history to widen the pool of contenders, a move they say violates Ijebu tradition and established law.
The House repeated that these attempts are not rooted in custom, describe it as exercises in political convenience masquerading as heritage.
The family insists that the Declaration often cited by these claimants is a subsidiary instrument, meant only to document the rotation among ruling houses not to redefine eligibility. It does not override customary practice, nor does it grant rights to distant relatives.
The Adenuga family acknowledged the right of citizens, under Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, to associate freely. However, they were quick to draw a sharp distinction between social associations and legally empowered royal families.
The house further declared that any groups may can be formed under the Fusengbuwa name, but they do not possess the customary or statutory authority to nominate a successor to the Awujale. That role belongs to the immediate family of the last reigning monarch from the ruling house.
Citing several examples from Ijebu royal history, the Folagbade family called on Ijebu sons and daughters worldwide to scrutinize the current succession claims and rise in defense of ancestral truth. They warned that allowing ineligible claimants to ascend the throne would erode the spiritual and cultural foundation of Ijebuland.
In a powerful epilogue to their statement, the family invoked global philosophical and ethical voices—from Socrates to Martin Luther King Jr.—to challenge Ijebu elites to resist silence in the face of injustice.
“To allow any hijacker, no matter how powerful their backers, to ascend the throne is to mortgage our future for the ambition of a few,” the statement warned. “Silence, now, is not neutrality—it is complicity.”
The Folagbade family says they are in the final stages of compiling a shortlist of eligible candidates and are ready to transmit names to the Odis and Kingmakers once the formal process begins.
They expressed gratitude to Governor Dapo Abiodun, himself a prince of Ijebuland, for his stated commitment to a fair and transparent process, and extended respect to the Awujale’s Chiefs-in-Council, whose role will be critical in upholding the integrity of the process.
As the people of Ijebuland brace for a pivotal decision, the weight of history, tradition, and truth hangs in the balance. What emerges from this process will not only determine who wears the crown but whether the throne itself remains a sacred custodian of ancestral will, or becomes a trophy of convenience.
Let the truth stand tall above sentiment, the family concludes. “Let tradition triumph over ambition.
©BoldNEWS Africa
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