The Fusengbuwa Ruling House has rejected claims that the Awujale stool was being commercialised, insisting that the funds were meant solely for administrative expenses.
The Olori Ebi of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Owoyemi, clarified this on Friday while speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme.
His comments comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding the stalled Awujale succession process.
The Awujale succession crisis followed the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona on July 13, 2025, and has since been characterised by disputes over eligibility, procedure, and the role of government.
The Ogun State Government suspended the selection process in January 2026 after petitions, protests, and security reports raised concerns about order and due process.
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services has since invited all candidates for security profiling.
Despite the controversy, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House has maintained that it acted transparently and in accordance with tradition throughout the process.
Speaking, Owoyemi stressed that the family never intended to sell the throne, maintaining that nomination fees, where applied, are standard practice and are paid into the family’s account for collective use.
“No king-making process is ever done on empty hands,” he said, adding that the money was not intended to enrich any individual.
“The money was not supposed to be paid to anybody. It was meant to cover expenses incurred in organising the nomination process,” Owoyemi said.
Furthermore, he explained why it initially reduced the application form fee for the Awujale of Ijebuland stool from N100m to N10m.
According to him, the decision is the result of internal consensus and a consideration of fairness among family members.
He said the family’s decision was taken at a convened general meeting and followed extensive deliberations in line with Yoruba traditional practice.
According to him, the idea of charging a fee was not unusual and was meant to support the logistics involved in the king-making process.
“In the first place, we started with 12 candidates after the family unanimously resolved that a price tag should be placed on anyone who wants to contest for the position of Awujale, as it is common in Yorubaland.
“At the members’ general meeting, various suggestions were made. The amount was reduced from N100m to 10m only, and the members were also informed.
“It went from N10m to N50m, to N25m, to N20m, until it finally settled at N10m, and it was unanimously approved. 12 members applied and paid 10m each,” Owoyemi stated.
The ruling house, however, stated that they refunded all monies paid after the Ogun State Government advised that the process should be opened up and made free for all eligible family members.
“We had an invitation from the Ogun State Govt to meet with the senior state officials.
“At that meeting, we were advised that what we had charged was not fair to everybody, and we should return all the 10m each of the 12 candidates had paid and announce that any willing member of the family could apply and could collect the application form from us without paying a naira.
“Within three days, we were able to refund all the money to those who had paid, and we sent copies of the bank advice to the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, the Secretary to the State Govt, and the Governor himself in evidence that we have complied with the directive,” he said.
He further argued that changes in the selection process have reduced the relevance of financial inducements to elders.
“In the past, the agbas (elders) selected the oba, but now the process has changed to mass participation of all members of the family, young or old. There is no cause for any sensible candidate to go and give money to any agba,” he stated.
