The head of Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu Ode, in Ogun State, Abdulateef Owoyemi, on Sunday, appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to lift the embargo on the Awujale selection process and allow the kingmakers to complete their work.
Owoyemi, a former national president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, said the royal family of Fusengbuwa and the sons and daughters of Ijebu land, both locally and in the diaspora, had become frustrated over the indefinite suspension of the selection process by the government..
Speaking to our correspondent, Owoyemi acknowledged the governor’s support but urged that “no distraction” should prevent the selection of the new Awujale.
“The royal family and indeed every son and daughter of Ijebu land will appreciate it if the governor can allow all of these distractions to be put behind us.
Ramadan has begun, after which we shall hold our annual Ojude Oba during Eid-el-Kabir, a gathering of significant religious and cultural importance.
“Everyone, both at home and in the diaspora, is waiting, but who will coordinate the preparations? The people are seeking guidance, and the truth is that they want the new Awujale to be installed.
“We want to have this thing over as soon as possible. I receive calls every day from within and outside the country from members of the family who want to know what is happening, but I don’t have anything to say,” he said.
The family head described the kingmakers as “men of integrity, people of character who will not sell the Awujale’s throne for anything.”
He pleaded: “The family is not happy with all that is happening, and we are begging the government to lift the suspension and let us finish this job on time.
“The people are expectant; they want the new Awujale as soon as possible. This process must be completed, and someone must emerge. This is the plea of the Fusengbuwa ruling house.”
The state government had halted the selection process for the second time last month.
A statement signed by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, explained that the suspension followed a flood of petitions from security agencies and other stakeholders.
On Saturday, the government debunked the rumour that it had endorsed the choice of one Ademorin Aliu Kuye as the new Awujale after his purported selection by the Ifa oracle.
In a statement by Hamzat, the government maintained that the selection process to fill the vacant stool of Awujale remained suspended as announced last month by the government, due to a plethora of petitions that it had received over the selection process.
