• Ijebu professionals laud suspension
• Aspirants to appear before DSS as kingmakers call off meet-and-greet

Following a series of petitions over the selection process, the Ogun State government has halted the nomination of 90 aspirants to the revered Awujale of Ijebuland, recently conducted by the Fesengbuwa Ruling House.

The suspension, however excited the Committee of Ijebu Professionals (CIP), who commended the state government for the action. With the suspension, all aspirants to the stool are to report to the office of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Ijebu-Ode.

Speaking against the backdrop of the new development, the Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, disclosed that halting the process was important due to petitions and reports received from security agencies and other key stakeholders in relation to the ongoing selection process.

He stated that to maintain public order and protect the integrity of the process, as well as maintain the veneration of the stool, it is imperative to halt the process for the stool.

Hamzat noted that in taking the decision, the government had due regard to the provision of the monarchs and chiefs’ law of Ogun State 2021, which empowers it to “set aside an appointment if the executive council is satisfied that it is in the interest of peace, order and good government to do so.”

CIP, in a statement, described the decision, conveyed through a letter issued by the Ijebu Ode Local Council to the kingmakers and ruling houses, as timely, decisive and in the overall interest of Ijebuland.

The release, signed by the president of the group, Temitayo Onabule, and Publicity Secretary, Prof Jide Olabinjo, stated that the government’s intervention was necessary to restore credibility to a process it said had become increasingly controversial.

According to the socio-professional group, the selection process was gradually losing public confidence and risked producing a monarch unbefitting of Ijebuland, if it was allowed to continue unchecked. “We feel very grateful that the governor and his team acted promptly to save the situation,” the statement added.

The directive for the aspirants to report to the DSS follows a letter dated January 20, 2026, addressed to the Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Lateef Owoyemi; his deputy, Dokun Ajidagba; and the Vice Chairman, Prof Fassy Yusuf.

The notice instructs all Awujale nominees to report to the DSS office, situated along NTA Road, beside the State Psychiatric Hospital, off Igbeba Road, Ijebu-Ode, by 11 am prompt on Wednesday.

The council apologised for any inconvenience the sudden change might have caused, stressing that the decision was a result of the cancellation of the previous scheduled event at the Aafin Awujale.

Secretary of the Awujale Afobaje Council, Ayotunde Odulaja, in the letter, charged all relevant nominees to strictly adhere to the directive and arrive on time.