The crisis surrounding the selection of a new Awujale of Ijebuland has deepened as the Awujale Afobaje Council has dismissed claims by the Olisa of Ijebu Ode, Chief Rasheed Adesanya, over his alleged communication with Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, on the succession process.
The Council faulted the purported letter said to have been sent by the Olisa in which he allegedly presented himself as head of the kingmakers and forwarded names for consideration, describing the action as unauthorised and inconsistent with the established traditional structure guiding the selection process.
Speaking during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, the Secretary of the Afobaje Council, Chief Ayotunde Ola Odulaja, said the council has remained inactive since the Ogun State Government suspended the selection process earlier in the year.
Odulaja said the directive issued on January 20, 2026, halted all activities relating to the emergence of a new Awujale, adding that the council had fully complied and had not reconvened since then.
“As you are aware, on the 20th of January, 2026, we received a letter stating that the selection process had been suspended. Since that time, we have not sat as a council,” he said.
He stressed that any document circulating in public suggesting that the Afobaje Council had resumed deliberations or submitted names was false and not authorised by the kingmakers.
According to him, “We have not held any meeting since the suspension was announced. We are not aware of any letter purportedly from the Olisa, and we are not a party to it.”
The secretary also questioned the authority under which the Olisa acted, insisting that he is not the chairman of the kingmakers’ council.
He explained that leadership of the Afobaje Council rests with the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu Ode, Chief Dr. Sonny Kuku, while the Olisa remains only a member of the council.
“The Olisa is one of nine members. He is not the chairman of the Afobaje Council. The Ogbeni Oja is the chairman,” Odulaja stated.
He further clarified that the Ilamuren council, where the Olisa plays a leadership role, is separate from the Afobaje kingmakers responsible for selecting the Awujale.
Odulaja maintained that the Afobaje Council operates strictly under legal and traditional frameworks and not informal arrangements, noting that the suspension of the selection process remains in force.
He also dismissed the use of the title “Alaiyeluwa” reportedly attached to the Olisa in the disputed correspondence, insisting that Ijebuland has only one recognised monarch.
“The Olisa of Ijebu Ode is not an Oba. There cannot be two kings in one kingdom. The Awujale remains the paramount ruler of Ijebuland,” he said.
Odulaja added that the council has not engaged in any activity since the suspension order and has not met with the Olisa on the matter.
He further suggested that the current tensions reflect lingering disputes within the traditional hierarchy, insisting that the Afobaje Council remains committed to due process pending further directives from the state government.
