The Chief Imam of Ijebuland, Sheikh Muftaudeen Ayanbadejo, has appealed to Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, to urgently intervene in the delay surrounding the selection of a new Awujale, stressing the need for the monarch to be in place before the upcoming Ileya (Eid-el-Kabir) festival
He spoke on Sunday at during a sendforth ceremony for the first Hajj pilgrims to depart from Gateway International Airport, Iperu, to Saudi Arabia.
The cleric urged the governor to address the lingering issues delaying the emergence of a new Awujale, describing the matter as critical to the cultural and religious life of Ijebuland.
Invoking Almighty Allah and the revered traditional rulers of Egbaland, Yewa and Remo, the Chief Imam, emphasized the importance of the Ileya festival to the people, noting that the absence of a monarch could disrupt long-standing traditions.
“Your Excellency, you were like a son to the late Awujale,” he said, recalling how the governor returned from London to participate in the monarch’s funeral prayers.
“We urge you to continue to show that same love even after his demise by ensuring that a new Awujale is installed before Ileya.”
Ayanbadejo noted that the kingmakers had completed their assignment and pleaded for forgiveness if any party had offended the government in the process.
“In the name of God, I appeal to Your Excellency, the Deputy Governor, the Secretary to the State Government, the Chief of Staff and all commissioners to kindly intervene so that Ijebuland can have a new Awujale before the Ileya festival,” he said.
Describing his message as a plea rather than a demand, the cleric also called on sons and daughters of Ijebuland to join in appealing to the governor.
Highlighting the historical significance of the festival, he explained that Eid-el-Kabir prayers have been observed in Ijebu Ode since 1875, when a then Christian Awujale provided land for Muslim worshippers and donated a ram for sacrifice.
“Since then, it has become a tradition for the reigning Awujale to provide the ram slaughtered at the Eid ground. If we do not have a monarch this year, who will provide the ram?” he asked.
The appeal re-echoed the request of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House in Ijebu-Ode, which had called on Abiodun to immediately lift the suspension placed on the selection process for the next Awujale.
The Ogun government had in January 2025 halted the selection process for the new Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, announced the suspension in a letter dated January 20, 2025 and addressed to the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government.
The government said it halted the process after receiving “several” petitions and reports from security agencies and other key stakeholders in relation to the process.
Our correspondent reports that it was the second time the government would stop the selection process to pick the successor of the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona.
Oba Adetona joined his ancestors last year after reigning for 65 years.
The race to fill the vacant stool had been intense, marked by controversy and intrigue.
Already, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House had submitted a list of 94 princes and one princess cleared as candidates for the stool.
The ruling house subsequently passed the responsibility to the kingmakers to select the new Awujale out the 95 candidates before the latest directive from the government, halting the process.
At a press conference on Sunday, chairman of the ruling house, Otunba Abdul Lateef Adebayo Owoyemi, urged the governor to allow the traditional kingmakers to resume and conclude the process of selecting the 60th Awujale of Ijebuland without further delay.
