…10-month fragile truce shattered as elders, princes and family representatives pass vote of no confidence in Otunba Lateef Owoyemi

…family members accuse Otunba Lateef Owoyemi-led leadership team of corruption, allege irregularities in Awujale selection process

By Paul Onogwu

Ten months after the resolution of the previous leadership tussle in the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu-Ode, the royal household has been thrown into another battle for control, with the emergence of Superscreen Television Chairman, Otunba Otukayode Otufale, as the new ‘unified’ Olori Ebi (Family Head).

Otunba Otufale was unveiled as the new Olori Ebi during a meeting held at the Fusengbuwa Ruling House’s Agunsebi Ule Nla on Sunday, September 20, in Ijebu-Ode. According to elders, princes and representatives of the eight family units of the ruling house who attended the meeting, the leadership change was prompted by concerns over the handling of the Awujale selection process by the Otunba Lateef Owoyemi-led leadership team.

The elders and princes said they had displaced Otunba Lateef Owoyemi as the Olori Ebi, with Otunba Otukayode Otufale elected as the new Family Head.

Speaking on behalf of the Tunwase Family Unit, Otunba Kehinde Alebiosun said the entire Awujale selection process, which has dragged on for over a year, could have been concluded in two months if it was done properly. He added that the selection process had a weak foundation, and said some family members tried to correct it by raising concerns, but were not given an audience.

An elder of the Ruling House, Prince Sikiru Adegunwa, who formally introduced Otunba Otufale to the meeting, announced him as the new ‘unified’ Olori Ebi. Thereafter, the heads of all the family units and other elders jointly presented the certificate of appointment to the Olori Ebi.

In his acceptance speech as the Olori Ebi of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Otufale cited three specific concerns about the Awujale nomination process: the collection of money from aspirants, the exclusion of aspirants from the nomination meeting, and the alleged failure to conduct proper screening.

Otunba Otufale accused the Otunba Owoyemi-led leadership team of collecting money from the Awujale aspirants, which he said violated a state government’s directive. He added that there had been no accountability to the family on the status of the monies collected from aspirants.

He said, “It is sad to note that, as we are gathered here today, no refunds have been made, and no statements of account have been rendered to the family to confirm how much was collected, into which account the money was paid, and how any refunds were made.

“Please, I urge all the aspirants to register the amounts they paid and provide evidence of such payments. We shall approach the government to assist in ensuring that your funds are recovered.”

Otunba Otufale also took issue with the exclusion of aspirants from the Awujale nomination meeting held on January 12, 2026, saying the move “is contrary to the law”.

He insisted that the law requires all Awujale aspirants to be present at the nomination meeting to ensure that they are “of sound mind and that there is no disability that would prevent them from being considered”.

On the nomination process, Otunba Otufale claimed that there was no genuine screening of the aspirants, as the names of 86 persons were submitted to the kingmakers. He added that the situation was akin to shifting responsibility from the ruling house to the kingmakers.

“The implication of this was that the responsibility for screening the aspirants was effectively shifted to the Kingmakers. To me, this amounted to shelving the responsibility of the Ruling House and placing it on the kingmakers, who were then expected to screen 86 aspirants within 14 days”, he said.

Otunba Otufale also alleged that the Awujale selection process was riddled with corruption and financial inducements, which he says the Police are currently investigating.

He added that the entire Fusengbuwa Ruling House had passed a vote of no confidence and removed the Otunba Lateef Owoyemi-led leadership team, following the recommendations of a nine-member ‘fact-finding committee’. He said the ruling house has sent letters to the state government and the Kingmakers informing them of the development.

Otunba Otufale further stated that he was appointed as Olori Ebi in accordance with the “normal practice that existed before in our own ruling house”.

While giving the vote of thanks, Prince Abiodun Ogidan, who was the Ruling House’s Public Relations Officer under the Otunba Owoyemi-led leadership team, said he tried to convince his former boss to call a general family meeting to resolve the differences and issues of concern, but was ignored.

The meeting and unveiling of a new Olori Ebi comes a day after Otunba Lateef Owoyemi, in an interview with journalists, accused the state government of interference and attempts to disrupt the established structure of the ruling house.

Owoyemi said the Ogun State Government is allegedly sponsoring individuals within the ruling house to frustrate the process of selecting a new Awujale. He also accused his rivals in the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of undermining the existing family leadership structure, insisting that he was the recognised head of the household.

It also comes four days after the Otunba Owoyemi-led leadership team dragged Otunba Otufale and 11 other members of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to the Ogun State High Court in a 1 billion Naira defamation suit for making ‘unfounded allegations’ of financial inducement and other infractions against them.

The Otunba Owoyemi-led team, in their suit filed on September 16, 2026, is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants (Otunba Otufale and the 11 others) from parading themselves as the leaders or representatives of the royal house.

Backstory

Following the passing of the late former Awujale of Ijebu Land, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, on July 13, 2025, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House became next in line to produce the new Awujale, in line with the rotational arrangement among the four Ruling Houses.

No sooner had the Fusengbuwa Ruling House begun preparations for the Awujale selection process than it was engulfed in a leadership crisis, as three men laid claim to be the Olori-Ebi: Otunba Lateef Owoyemi, Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba and Otunba Fassy Yusuf.

The dispute was later settled on November 7, 2025, following a meeting convened by the Ogun State Government the previous day. Under the terms of the agreement, Otuna Owoyemi emerged as Chairman and Olori Ebi of the Ruling House, Otunba Ajidagba as Vice-Chairman and Otunba Yusuf as Deputy Chairman (The trio are members of the aforementioned Otunba Owoyemi-led leadership team).

However, discontent lingered among several family members over the conduct of the Awujale selection process amid claims of exclusion, non-accountability, bribes, financial inducement and corruption, leading to the eventual “vote of no confidence” in the Otunba Owoyemi-led leadership team.