The already tense race for the revered Awujale of Ijebuland stool took another dramatic turn on Tuesday as the Ogun State Government suspended the selection process for the second time, even as nominees were invited by the Department of State Services DSS for screening.
The latest suspension, contained in a circular dated January 20, 2026, effectively halted all activities surrounding the succession exercise, just as kingmakers were preparing to begin the crucial task of choosing one candidate from a list of 95 nominees submitted by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.
The government said the decision was driven by security concerns and the need to protect the integrity of the traditional institution, reigniting uncertainty around one of Yorubaland’s most powerful and symbolic stools.
Earlier in the day, several nominees were sighted entering the DSS office at Igbeba GRA in Ijebu Ode, opposite the NTA office, following invitations for profiling. One of the nominees confirmed that the DSS invitation coincided with the scheduled palace screening, creating confusion over whether the process had been shifted or taken over by security agencies.
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That confusion was later addressed by a source close to the DSS, who stressed that the exercise was strictly for profiling and vetting, a routine security requirement in sensitive traditional succession matters.
According to the source, the profiling was designed to run after palace screening and over several days, with invitations already sent through the Palace Secretary before the government issued its second suspension.
The DSS was emphatic that it did not stop the process.
The agency said it only suspended its planned profiling after the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs issued the circular placing all Awujale succession activities on hold. Any suggestion that the DSS initiated or enforced the suspension, the source warned, would amount to misinformation.
The agency added that its sole concern was accuracy in public reporting and preventing false narratives capable of inflaming an already sensitive situation.
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This is the second major interruption in the Awujale succession within five weeks.
On December 18, 2025, Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration first suspended the process, citing procedural errors. After pressure from stakeholders, the government on January 6, 2026, directed the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to resume and conclude the exercise within 14 days, a move that briefly restored calm.
That calm has now been shattered.
Heavy Security Around the Palace
As uncertainty returned, security around the Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona Archway leading to the Awujale’s palace was visibly reinforced. Armed operatives drawn from the police, DSS, NSCDC, Amotekun and the So Safe Corps were deployed amid allegations that powerful interests were attempting to infiltrate the kingmakers’ meeting and impose a preferred candidate.
Though no incident was reported, the security presence underscored the sensitivity of the moment.
Just a day before the suspension, leaders of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, including Otunba Lateef Adebayo Owoyemi, Prince Adedokun Ajidagba and Professor Fassy Yusuf, formally submitted the list of 95 nominees to the kingmakers, setting the stage for what was expected to be the decisive phase of the succession.
Instead, the process has once again been frozen, leaving Ijebuland in a holding pattern where tradition, state authority and security considerations intersect.
For now, the future of the Awujale stool remains unresolved, with residents, traditional stakeholders and political actors watching closely for the next move in a succession process that continues to test patience, protocol and power.
