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The Fusengbuwa Ruling House has defended its earlier decision to set the cost of application forms for the Awujale of Ijebuland stool at ₦10 million, saying the move was reached through collective family consultations and was intended to ensure equity among eligible contenders.
The Olori Ebi of the ruling house, Otunba Lateef Owoyemi, gave the explanation on Friday while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, amid ongoing debates surrounding the stalled Awujale succession process.
Owoyemi explained that the decision was taken during a general meeting of the family, where members agreed that aspiring candidates should contribute financially to support the logistics of the nomination exercise—an arrangement he described as customary within Yoruba traditional institutions.
According to him, although much higher amounts were initially proposed, extensive discussions eventually led to the adoption of the ₦10 million fee.
“In the first place, we started with 12 candidates after the family unanimously resolved that a price tag should be placed on anyone who wants to contest for the position of Awujale, as it is common in Yorubaland,” Owoyemi said.
“At the members’ general meeting, various suggestions were made. The amount was reduced from ₦100 million to ₦10 million only, and the members were also informed.
“It went from ₦10 million to ₦50 million, to ₦25 million, to ₦20 million, until it finally settled at ₦10 million, and it was unanimously approved. 12 members applied and paid ₦10 million each,” he added.
Owoyemi noted, however, that all funds collected were refunded after the Ogun State Government intervened and instructed the ruling house to allow all eligible family members to participate in the process without any financial obligation.
He disclosed that the refunds were completed within three days and that evidence of compliance was forwarded to top state officials.
“We had an invitation from the Ogun State Government to meet with the senior state officials,” he said.
“At that meeting, we were advised that what we had charged was not fair to everybody, and we should return all the ₦10 million each of the 12 candidates had paid and announce that any willing member of the family could apply and could collect the application form from us without paying a naira.
“Within three days, we were able to refund all the money to those who had paid, and we sent copies of the bank advice to the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, the Secretary to the State Government, and the governor himself in evidence that we have complied with the directive,” Owoyemi stated.
Responding to accusations that the revered Awujale stool was being commercialised, Owoyemi rejected the claims, stressing that the funds were strictly meant to cover administrative and organisational costs.
“No king-making process is ever done on empty hands,” he said.
“The money was not supposed to be paid to anybody. It was meant to cover expenses incurred in organising the nomination process,” he added.
He further explained that where nomination fees are applicable, such funds are typically paid into a family account and used collectively, maintaining that the ruling house never intended to sell the throne.
Owoyemi also pointed out that reforms in the selection process have reduced the influence of inducements, noting that the involvement of all eligible family members has replaced the old practice where only elders selected the monarch.
The Awujale succession process became uncertain following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona on July 13, 2025. Since then, disagreements over eligibility and procedure have increased the number of aspirants, while petitions and protests eventually led the Ogun State Government to suspend the process in January 2026.
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