No Imposition Can Eclipse the Sacred Light of Ijebu Tradition: — by Otunba (Dr) Abdulfalil A Odunowo
No Imposition Can Eclipse the Sacred Light of Ijebu Tradition: The Awujale Stool Belongs to the Ancestors, Not to Politics
By Otunba (Dr) Abdulfalil Abayomi Odunowo.
Eternal blessings upon the noble elders of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and the revered Council of Afobaje the unwavering guardians of Ijebu history, dignity, and timeless customs.
In this hour of profound transition, following the peaceful repose of our beloved Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona in July 2025 after a monumental 65-year reign, you have stood as beacons of integrity and fidelity to the soul of Ijebuland.
The succession to the exalted Awujale stool is not a matter of convenience or external directive; it is a sacred rotation rooted in our ancient declarations, customary law, and the rotational order among the ruling houses: Gbelegbuwa, Anikinaiya, Fusengbuwa, and Fidipote. The Fusengbuwa Ruling House, next in line, carries the solemn duty to present candidates in accordance with these hallowed traditions.
When state intervention came in December 2025 halting the process, citing procedural and petition-related concerns, and directing a restart the response from our kingmakers and elders echoed the unyielding spirit of our forebears: true legitimacy flows only from due process, transparency, and respect for custom, never from coercion or override.
The temporary security presence at the palace and the suspension of activities stirred deep unease among our people, reminding us that force may silence voices for a moment, but it cannot erase the collective memory of a proud civilization. Yet, with the recent clearance in January 2026 for the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to resume its internal selection, hope endures that wisdom will prevail.
Let this be etched in the annals of our history:
1. The Awujale stool is the heartbeat of Ijebuland not a bargaining token in any political equation, whether concerning state boundaries, territorial claims, or administrative favors. Our paramount institution stands above such negotiations; it is inherited from the ancestors, not bartered by the living.
2. No monarch, however elevated, holds the mandate to compromise Ijebu ancestral heritage or territorial integrity for transient gains. Our lands stretching across generations are sacred trusts for our children yet unborn.
Ijebu sons and daughters are heirs to a legacy of resilience, self-determination, and quiet dignity. We have never been a people to be dictated to or rushed into submission. Our ancestors built empires through honor, not capitulation.
We choose patience over haste, legitimacy over expediency, and ancestral fidelity over fleeting pressure. If the process demands time to ensure every step honors our customs, then we wait with heads held high and hearts united.
Ijebuland is no ordinary realm; it is a proud, ancient civilization whose traditions have endured centuries of trials. Our Awujale must emerge as a true son of the soil, crowned by the will of the people and the blessing of the gods not imposed by any hand, however powerful.
History records every chapter. Our forebears watch from the realms beyond. And the Ijebu spirit will never bow to anything that diminishes our honor, our land, or our future.
May the ancestors guide us to a successor who embodies the grace, wisdom, and strength of Oba Adetona and may Ijebuland rise even stronger in unity and pride.
Ijebu a gbe wa o!
Otunba (Dr) Abdulfalil Abayomi Odunowo
National President
SPEAKUP Collectives Nigeria (SCN)
