The Baagbimo of Ijebuland and Secretary of the Awujale Council of Chiefs, Chief Fassy Adetokunboh Yusuf, has appealed to Ijebu sons and daughters and residents for further patience amid the growing delay in the selection process of a new Awujale of Ijebu Land.
Chief Yusuf made the call in an exclusive interview with Noble News amid the five-month suspension of the Awujale selection process, which has led to frustration and concern over the lingering vacant Awujale stool.
Chief Yusuf, who is also a lawyer and is Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Ijebu-Ode Branch, warned concerned stakeholders against filing court cases seeking to compel the state government to resume the Awujale selection process, saying that such a move could drag on for up to ten years, from the High Court to the Appeal Court and on to the Supreme Court.
Chief Yusuf insisted on patiently waiting for the state government to lift the suspension of the process and expressed confidence that the situation would be resolved “between now and next year.”
He said, “some school of thought are saying that they should go to court. If you go to court today, for the next ten years, we are still in court. Minimum of ten years. High Court, two years or three years. Court of Appeal, another two years; that’s five years. Supreme Court, five years, (making a total of) ten years.
“So, if it is something we can resolve within the next one year, why don’t you exercise some patience? So, I will appeal to my people to exercise some patience. By the grace of God, between now and next year, everything will be sorted out.”
Chief Yusuf also explained the procedures left in the Awujale selection process when it resumes, saying that kingmakers would have to complete their work in nominating a new monarch and forward their choice to the state government, which ultimately has the discretion to approve or reject any nominee.
“We are expecting a lifting of the ban (on the Awujale selection process). Once it is lifted, the Kingmakers will complete the assignment and forward their choice to the government. The governor-in-council will do all the necessary things, maybe security screening, the legal implications and all the rest, and they will now give the go-ahead. If government, for whatever reason, disagrees with the decision of the kingmakers, then they will send a letter to the kingmakers to pick another person.”
Chief Yusuf’s appeal for patience comes amid increasing frustration at the lack of progress in the selection process for a new Awujale, which has been suspended since January 20, 2026.
The development has now left the Awujale Stool vacant for 11 months, since the demise of the previous monarch, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, who passed away on July 13, 2025, after 65 years on the throne.
A total of 95 aspirants for the Awujale Stool, including 94 princes and one princess, from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House had been nominated before the process was suspended.
