The Fidipote Ruling House of Ijebu Ode has written to the Ijebu Ode Local Government Area and the Ogun State Government, asking them to recognise its right to present candidates for the vacant Awujale stool after the Fusengbuwa Ruling House failed to meet the nomination deadline.
In a two-page letter addressed to the Secretary of the Ijebu Ode Local Government on Wednesday, the Fidipote family stated that Fusengbuwa’s statutory period to submit candidates had expired under the Ogun State Chieftaincy Law, 2021, and the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration of 1959.
The letter, co-signed by the Head and Secretary of the ruling house, Oba Tajudeen Omotayo and Omooba Tunde Aderibigbe, said the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, which was first entitled to present candidates, failed to do so within the 14 days prescribed by law.
The Fidipote Ruling House highlighted its eligibility to present candidates under Section 16(1)(c) of the Ogun State Chieftaincy Law, which allows the next entitled ruling house to take over if the first fails to submit names on time.
The family invited the Secretary of the Local Government or a representative to attend its general meeting as an observer. The meeting, scheduled for Saturday, December 20, 2025, at the Fidipote Royal Hall, Idewon Quarters, Ijebu Ode, will include the formal expression of interest by aspiring candidates, screening by eligible family members, and voting to select candidates for the kingmakers.
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The Fidipote family assured the authorities that the process would follow the law, customary practices, and the 1959 Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration. Copies of the letter were also sent to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and other relevant authorities.
The Fusengbuwa Ruling House had recently postponed its nomination meeting for candidates for the Awujale stool. The chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, said the meeting was put on hold following an intervention by the state government to prevent procedural errors that could lead to litigation.
Owoyemi also denied that the postponement was connected to KWAM 1, who had declared his intention to contest the Awujale stool but was reportedly not recognised as a member of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.
STREETNET