A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prince Bambo Adesanya, has called for strict adherence to due process in the succession to the ancient stool of the Awujale of Ijebuland in Ogun State.
In a statement obtained on Sunday, Adesanya lamented the premature jostling for the revered throne, describing it as inappropriate and potentially capable of plunging Ijebuland into strife.
The former Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, died on July 13, 2025, at the age of 91.
The PUNCH reports that the Fusengbuwa ruling house of Ijebu Ode, which is next in line to fill the vacant stool, has begun preparations for the selection of a new monarch.
On Saturday, the family held a prayer session at Ile Nla Agunsebi, its ancestral home, to seek spiritual guidance on the process.
Over 200 princes and princesses, including those who had previously distanced themselves from the family, attended the prayer presided over by the head of the ruling house, High Chief Ola Adedokun Ajidagba.
Adesanya, however, criticised the hasty scramble for the throne.
“As soon as the demise of the Alaiyeluwa was announced and without allowing for the passage of a decent mourning period, all manner of persons started laying claim to their eligibility to the sacred office of the Awujale,” he said.
While acknowledging the legitimate right of the Fusengbuwa ruling house to begin preparations, the SAN condemned what he called “the vociferous claim to the office of the Awujale by a member or members of a ruling house that is not next in line.”
Citing the legal framework governing succession, Adesanya stressed: “The custom of our people in this regard is contained in the Declaration made under Section 4 (2) of the Chiefs Law 1957 of the former Western Region of Nigeria.”
He explained that the Declaration, approved in 1959 and still binding, clearly spells out the order of rotation of the ruling houses entitled to produce candidates for the throne: the Anikinaiya, Fusengbuwa, Fidipote, and Gbelegbuwa ruling houses.
“Following this rotation,” Adesanya said, “there is no doubt whatsoever that it is the turn of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to provide candidates for the office of the Awujale of Ijebuland.”
He dismissed social media claims citing “ancient customs” as justification for bypassing the Fusengbuwa lineage.
“There is no custom or law with respect to the order of rotation of ruling houses in the selection of the Awujale that allows a willy-nilly bypass of the ruling house that is next in line to produce the monarch.”
Adesanya acknowledged that ruling houses had, in the past, been skipped but explained that such cases were linked to the now-defunct abidagba custom — a once-accepted practice which required a prince to be born during his father’s reign to qualify.
He warned that disregarding the established order could destabilise Ijebuland.
“The point needs to be made quite forcefully that, save in a situation where a ruling house wilfully declines to provide candidates or no members of the ruling house are otherwise eligible, it will be an invitation to anarchy if the Fusengbuwa Ruling House is bypassed in the process of selecting the new Awujale.”
Adesanya urged all stakeholders to respect the rule of law and traditional order, appealing to the sons and daughters of Ijebuland to “ensure that all processes laid down under the Declaration are meticulously followed.”
