The Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, yesterday, denied the allegations that President Bola Tinubu and Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, had been rooting for a particular contestant in the selection process to become the next Awujale of Ijebuland.
Chairman of Funsengbuwa Ruling House, Abdullateef Abdulaziz Owoyemi, who made the clarification while speaking on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, insisted that neither the President nor the governor had tried to prevail on him to favour any contestant in the selection process.
Owoyemi said that contrary to the public outcry that both Tinubu and Abiodun wanted to impose one Kunle Kuye as the next Awujale, the notion was far from the truth, stressing that the two political office holders had no hand in the selection process for the new Awujale of Ijebuland.
He, however, acknowledged that there had been political and individual influence with monetary and material inducements for the revered throne, but he would not compromise his integrity for personal gains.
He also said he had yet to receive any petition regarding the suspension of the Awujale succession process, citing rising tensions, security concerns, and the failure to diligently follow the laid-down rules as the cause of the suspension.
Owoyemi also explained that the emergence of the 95 contestants, the highest in history, was due to the removal of the N10 million administrative fee introduced earlier by the ruling house to regulate the selection process.
He noted that upon hearing the amount, the state government ordered a refund and opened the process for any applicant to contest, saying that the initial purpose of the fee was to cover logistics and limit unserious applications, adding that only 12 paid the fee before the cancellation.
“We refunded every kobo within three days. Once the restriction was removed, applications poured in, and the number rose to 95. You cannot dismantle a regulatory mechanism and then complain about the outcome,” he said.
