Awujale Succession: Fusengbuwa Ruling House Sues Owoyemi Over Alleged Olori-Ebi Impersonation
By Segun Omo Ojikutu
A fresh twist has emerged in the race for the Awujale throne of Ijebuland as the Fusengbuwa Ruling House has dragged Otunba Abdulateef Adebayo Owoyemi before the Ijebu-Ode High Court over alleged impersonation as the Olori-Ebi (head) of the family.
The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, pits the recognized Olori-Ebi of the Fusengbuwa lineage, Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba , against Owoyemi, whom he accused of parading himself unlawfully as the family head—despite an earlier ruling of the Ijebu-Ode High Court II, presided over by Justice Asenuga, which reportedly settled the matter.
This legal tussle resurfaced barely a day after the Chairman of the four ruling houses of Ijebu-Ode and the Olori-Ebi of the Anikilaya Ruling House, Prince Taheeb Mabadeje Alaga, appealed to members of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to put aside their differences and embrace unity as they prepare to produce the next Awujale.
Royal Bloodline at the Centre of Dispute
Adedokun, representing the Adeberu branch, filed the case alongside Prince Adeleke Adeyemi of the Olufadi royal family and Prince Ademola Sonaya of the Ayora/Tunwase family. Together, they insist that Owoyemi has no ancestral link to Ile-Nla compound in Agunsebi, Ijebu-Ode, the traditional seat of the Fusengbuwa house.
Listing the eight recognized branches of the ruling house—Olufadi, Ayora/Tunwase, Shenowo, Okuyandewo, Oshinuga, Adekenu, Adebiyi, and Adeberu—Adedokun argued that Owoyemi does not belong to any. Instead, he claimed, Owoyemi hails from Ikoro-Ekiti, a fact he said the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, had previously affirmed.
“No One Can Rewrite History”
Adedokun emphasized that his own appointment as Olori-Ebi was duly ratified on November 23, 2023, and officially communicated to the Ogun State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, as well as to the late monarch.
Speaking to journalists after filing the suit, Adedokun declared:
“Fusengbuwa Ruling House is rooted in Agunsebi Ile-Nla, Ijebu-Ode—no one can rewrite that history. Chief Lateef Owoyemi admitted in open court before Justice Asenuga that he is from Ikoro-Ekiti. He has no claim to the Fusengbuwa headship.”
Why Going To Court Again?
Otunba Owoyemi, while claiming to be the rightful head of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, told journalists from some national dailies about two weeks ago, that the Ibadan Court of Appeal judgement of 2024 ruled in his favour.
The report in those publications by Owoyemi had apparently led to the counter reactions via an advertorial in the Punch Newspapers of Sunday September 7, 2025, and solidarity visits to the Ile-Nla Compound, Ijebu-Ode, with public declarations of support for the leadership of Prince Adedokun Ajidagba by members of the Ruling House and other Ruling Houses in Ijebu-Ode.
Court Asked to Reinforce Earlier Ruling
Prince Ajidagba and his fellow claimants are now praying the court to restrain Owoyemi from further presenting himself as Olori-Ebi of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House; and to enforce the earlier directives of the court on the matter.
The case adds a dramatic layer to the unfolding battle for the revered Awujale throne, one of Nigeria’s most influential traditional stools, where questions of ancestry and lineage remain critical in determining rightful succession.
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