Fresh crisis is brewing over the vacant stool of the Awujale of Ijebuland as the Awujale Afobaje Council (kingmakers) has openly disowned a letter allegedly sent to the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, by the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, Chief Rasheed Adesanya.
The Secretary of the Afobaje Council, Chief Ayotunde Ola Odulaja, who blew the whistle, described the said letter as "unauthorised and misleading."
Odulaja maintained that the process of selecting a successor to the late paramount ruler remains suspended by the Ogun State Government, adding that the kingmakers had not held any meeting since the state’s directive was issued in January.
Speaking on Friday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, the council scribe insisted that the body had strictly complied with the government’s freeze order.
According to him, the suspension was communicated to the council on January 20, 2026, through a letter from the local government authorities, just 24 hours after the names of nominees were submitted to the kingmakers for consideration.
"Any correspondence purportedly emanating from the council after the suspension should not be regarded as an official position of the kingmakers. Members were neither consulted nor involved in the preparation of the letter allegedly authored by the Olisa," Odulaja warned.
Taking a swipe at the Olisa, Odulaja challenged Adesanya’s claim of acting as the chairman of the kingmakers' council. He insisted that the rightful occupant of the position is the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu-Ode, Chief Sonny Kuku.
He said, "The Olisa is a member of the Afobaje Council, but he is not the chairman. Chief Sonny Kuku is the duly recognised chairman of the council, while I serve as secretary. Any official communication regarding the selection process ought to come through the chairman."
Explaining the composition of the traditional institution, the secretary noted that the Afobaje Council consists of nine members operating under statutory provisions governing the emergence of an Awujale.
He further clarified that the Afobaje Council is distinct from the Ilamuren Council. While acknowledging that the Olisa heads the Ilamuren, he stressed that the group is entirely different from the kingmakers saddled with the responsibility of selecting a new monarch.
The crisis took a dramatic twist as Odulaja dismissed the use of the monarchical title "Alaiyeluwa" in reference to the Olisa, arguing that the revered title is exclusively reserved for the Awujale as the paramount ruler of Ijebuland.
While alleging that the current friction is part of a recurring dispute over traditional authority in the kingdom, the scribe noted that the kingmakers have not had any interaction with the Olisa since the state government halted the process.
He reiterated that the Awujale stool remains vacant and vowed that the council would take no further action until the Governor Abiodun-led administration officially lifts the suspension.
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