Court Battle Begins Over Awujale Succession and Ruling House Leadership Dispute

Ayo Marvel Posted on 3 months ago 2 min read

Three royal families of Adeberu, Olufadi and Ayora/ Tunwase of Fusengbuwa ruling house, lle Nia, Agunsebi, ljebu Ode have dragged the Ogun State Government, the former National President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, Dr Kunle Hassan, the founder of Eye Foundation Hospital and two others before an Ogun State High Court sitting at ljebu Ode over the leadership crisis rocking the ruling house.

According to the court filings dated September 17 and made available to journalists on Thursday, the representatives of the three royal families, Adedokun Ajidagba, Adeleke Adeyemi and Ademola Sonaya, specifically urged the court to stop Owoyemi from parading himself as the head (Olori Ebi) of the Fusengbuwa ruling house.

The Fusengbuwa ruling house is the next to produce the Awujale and paramount ruler of ljebu land after the demise of 91-year-old Oba Sikiru Adetona on July 13, after reigning for 65 years.

Adedokun, according to the documents filed before the court, asserted that Owoyemi has no ancestral link to the Ile-Nla compound in Agunsebi, the historic family house of Fusengbuwa.

He listed the ruling house’s eight recognised branches as Olufadi, Ayora/Tunwase, Shenowo, Okuyandewo, Oshinuga, Adekenu, Adebiyi, and Adeberu.

The oil and gas businessman further claimed that Owoyemi hails from Ikoro-Ekiti and not ljebu-Ode, a position he affirmed was corroborated by the late Awujale of ljebuland, during a court proceeding at jebu-Ode in 2018.

Adedokun said his appointment as Olori-Ebi of Fusengbuwa was ratified on November 23, 2023, with official notification sent to the Ogun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and to the late Adetona.

He declared that he remains the authentic head of the Fusengbuwa ruling house and that the court should accede to the request of the three royal families and stop Owoyemi from parading himself henceforth as the head of the ruling house.