The crisis surrounding the selection of a new Awujale of Ijebuland has taken a fresh twist, as the Awujale Afobaje Council has strongly criticised the Olisa of Ijebu Ode, Chief Rasheed Adesanya, over a letter allegedly sent to Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, in which he reportedly referred to himself as the head of the kingmakers’ council and forwarded names for consideration.
The Council described the development as unauthorised, misleading and outside the established structure guiding the traditional selection process, insisting that the Awujale stool remains vacant but the selection exercise is still officially suspended by the state government.
The controversy was brought to the fore on Friday, during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, where the Secretary of the Afobaje Council, Chief Ayotunde Ola Odulaja, addressed rising tensions surrounding the succession process.
According to him, the council has remained inactive since the Ogun State Government halted the process earlier in the year, following procedural concerns and alleged irregularities within the succession framework.
He said the council had strictly complied with the directive and had not reconvened since the suspension order was issued.
“Thank you very much. As you are aware, on the 20th of January, 2026, we received a letter from the Secretary to the local government, Honorable Oke Adebanjo, specifically stating that the selection process of the Awujale had been suspended. It is a day after the names of the nominees were submitted to the Council of Afobajes of Awujale, Ijebuland.”
Chief Odulaja stressed that since that directive, no meeting of the kingmakers has taken place, and no further action has been taken regarding the selection exercise.
He added that any document circulating in the public space purporting to originate from the council was not recognised by the Afobaje body.
“So, to the best of my knowledge, the suspension has not been lifted, and as law-abiding citizens, we have not sat in Council since the 20th of January, 2026, to sit at the Council of Afobajes. We haven’t had any meetings, and this letter that has emanated from the palace or from the residence of the Olisa, we are not aware, and we are not a party to that letter. Let it be also known that in this letter, it was stated that some Alayeluwa, Olisa RASHEED ADEOYE ADESANYA. We don’t know anyone by that appellation. the Olisa of Ijebu-ode is a chief like all of us, and I don’t think that letter should be given any reckoning or acknowledged in any quarters.”
The Afobaje secretary further questioned the authority under which the Olisa acted, insisting that he is not the chairman of the kingmakers’ council.
“I will say a no, because like I said, we have not sat since the 20th of January. We are a law-abiding council, and since the process has been halted, we have not even had a meeting. We have not even sat together to say that, oh yes, how are we going to move forward on this? We haven’t done anything. So these names are a figment of his imagination, and we’re not aware, and we’re not even aware that the governor will write directly to him. He’s not the chairman of the Afobaje council. The Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu Ode is the chairman of the Afobaje council. So if any letter were to come from either the governor’s office or the commissioner for local government or the commissioner or the chairman of local government, the letter would have been addressed specifically to the The Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu Ode, who is the chairman of the Afobaje council.”
He clarified that the Olisa is only one of nine members of the council and does not occupy any superior leadership position within the Afobaje structure.
“So there are nine of us. Olisa is one of the members of the council, and Chief Dr. Sonny Kuku, the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu Ode is chairman, one of the secretary, and then we have seven other members.”
Chief Odulaja maintained that the Olisa’s claim to have written in the capacity of chairman of the kingmakers was false and misleading.
“Well, so I see that in the letter, he claims to be the chairman of the Kingmaker’s council, which is false. He is the head of the Ilamuren council, which is undoubtedly true, but he is not the chairman of the Afobaje council. Again, I reiterate, the The Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu Ode, Chief Dr. Sonny Kuku, is the chairman of the council.”
He explained that while the Ilamuren council exists within the traditional hierarchy, it is distinct from the Afobaje kingmakers responsible for selecting the Awujale.
“The Ilamuren are the administrative chiefs of the palace, right? The administrative chiefs of the palace. The Ogbeni Oja is also a member of the Ilamuren. Bobashuwa are the Olotufore, they are the The Olotu-Olowa, are all members, and they are Apebi, are all members of the Ilamuren. But he is chairman of that council. I don’t know what happens in that council.”
Odulaja further insisted that the Afobaje Council operates under a legally defined framework and not informal traditional assumptions.
“Okay, so there’s a lot of story out there, because people are not in the know of how these things happen. Now, point to that, it is, all of these things have now been put into law. So there is a law that guides the selection of an Awujale.”
He clarified that the council had previously collectively agreed on its leadership structure when it was constituted.
“When we formed the council of Afobaje, and with all the Afobaje that are present, that are, that the students have been filled, we sat, had a meeting. At that meeting, we’re supposed to, we’re meant to choose a chairman and executive. The Olisa, Chief Rashid Adesanya, nominated The Ogbeni Oja as chairman, which we all agreed to. And also the body nominated me as secretary, of which I am today secretary of the Afobaje council.”
The council also drew a distinction between the interim administrative arrangement that followed the passing of the late Awujale and the formal kingmakers’ structure.
“Chief Kuku again, you need to know that when our Late Kabiyesi passed, late Oba Dr. Kayode Sikiru Adetona passed, the government formed an interim, and Chief Kuku was made chairman of the interim. So that’s administrative. But the council of Afobaje is a separate council.”
Odulaja said the council has not engaged in any activity since the suspension was imposed and has remained strictly compliant with government directive.
“Waking up this morning, we have seen that the governor, because the story is that the governor was the one that asked for this letter to be written, and for this letter to be sent to him. But waking up this morning, the government of the state has refuted the allegation. So I don’t know how and where, because in April, this letter is dated 14th of April.”
He further stated that the council had not interacted with the Olisa since the suspension took effect.
“And because the last time we sat, it was the last time we sat was on the 20th of January, 2026, and ever since, we have not even had any meeting. And I have not even seen the Olisa since January.”
On the use of the title “Alaiyeluwa” reportedly associated with the Olisa, Odulaja dismissed it, insisting there is only one recognised monarch in Ijebuland.
“The Olisa of Ijebu Ode is not an Oba. ‘Oba meji o le w ani ilu kan’ meaning two kings can not exist in a Kingdome. The Awujale is a king, the Oba and the paramount ruler of Ijebuland. They will not have two Obas. The Olisa of Ijebu Ode, they like the Kakanfo and all other traditional chiefs are all Chiefs. The Olisa is not an Alaiyeluwa, he’s not an Oba, his appellation is not an Alaiyeluwa, he’s a chief.”
He dismissed suggestions that the Olisa’s conduct reflects any formal elevation or recognition as a monarch within the traditional hierarchy.
“I have not seen him attired. I have never looked at his attire. I don’t know how he moves around. I see him as a person, I see him as one of us.”
Odulaja also linked the current tension to longstanding disputes within the traditional structure of Ijebuland.
“And if you recall, the Olisa and Kabiyesi Adetona, may God bless his soul, were never, they never saw eye to eye because of this sort of behavior. And one of the reasons why the Olisa was alleged to be suspended was because of this sort of behavior, calling himself an Oba and all of that and all of that.”
He alleged that the current situation reflects renewed attempts to assert influence following the passing of the late Awujale.
“Now that the Awujale has gone, he now feels that it’s time for him to have his own pound of flesh. But under this present administration, I don’t think that’s going to be possible. So that is why we have all come out and, you know, to refute and to say no to this sort of behavior.”
The Afobaje Council maintained that it remains on hold pending government direction and has not resumed any part of the selection process.
The Awujale stool remains vacant as stakeholders await the lifting of the suspension to continue the traditional selection exercise.
