The fissures within the Fusengbuwa ruling house of Ijebuland seemed to have deepened with a veteran petroleum dealer, Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba, maintaining that he remains the authentic Olori – Ebi of the house.
Prince Ajidagba said his emergence as the Olori – Ebi followed relevant backing by both court rulings and family endorsements.
He rejected the recent endorsement of former President of Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria(ICAN), Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi as Olori-Ebi (head) of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, saying it has no legal backing.
The Daily Crucible reports that the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebuland had on Sunday, August 31, 2025 confirmed Otunba Abdul – Lateef Owoyemi, as the Olori – Ebi of the house.
Fusengbuwa is the ruling house expected to nominate candidates where a successor to the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, who joined his ancestors July 13, 2025 at age 91, will be selected by the kingmakers.
Owoyemi is an indigene of Idowa – Ijebu and a tested hand in the populous Fusengbuwa ruling family. He is also the Otunba Jadiara of Ijebuland, a chieftaincy title conferred on him about 20 years ago by the late Oba Adetona.
The accounting guru emerged as the Olori – Ebi at the enlarged meeting of the ruling house at the Oba Adesimbo Tunwase Memorial Museum Agunsebi, Ijebu – Ode after the current Olori – Ebi, Otunba Adekunle Olubola Hassan, voluntarily resigned from the position.
In his resignation letter read during the meeting, that had in attendance,
Oba J. A. Osunsami, the Aladeken of Oke Ako, Otunba Hassan cited unfolding developments due to the passing of Oba Adetona as the reason for stepping down for Owoyemi.
Hassan said: ”With the current developments and the dynamics that have changed with the passing of Awujale Adetona, I have decided to resign as the Olori Ebi, and I hereby resign as the Olori Ebi. I am sure Chief Professor Fassy Yusuf, who has been acting in my absence as the Deputy Olori Ebi can carry on as the new deputy Olori Ebi.”
And speaking to newsmen shortly after his confirmation, Otunba Owoyemi pledged to lead the Fusengbuwa ruling house with wisdom of King Solomon, unite the royal family and transform it into a formidable royal institution in Ijebuland.
However, addressing newsmen during a press conference in his Ijebu-Ode residence yesterday, Ajidagba dismissed Owoyemi’s endorsement, describing it as illegitimate and misleading.
•Prince Adedokun Ajidagba (middle) during the press conference yesterday.
According to him, the matter had already been settled by the Court of Appeal in Ibadan in 2024, following a legal tussle that began with a 2018 judgment delivered by Justice A.O. Asenuga of the Ijebu-Ode High Court. He presented court documents spanning 36 pages, showing himself, Owoyemi, and Prince Adeleke Adeyemi Olufadi as appellants in the case.
Ajidagba explained that the appellate court ruling favoured the Fusengbuwa family, after which Owoyemi resigned his position as Olori-Ebi. He claimed that he subsequently emerged as Olori-Ebi with the endorsement of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba S.K. Adetona, and formal certification from the Ijebu-Ode Local Government.
“After the appellate court’s ruling, the late Awujale personally endorsed me, and I was issued a certificate of endorsement by the local government affirming my position. Since then, I have been functioning as Olori-Ebi of the Fusengbuwa family. It is shocking to see a video circulating on social media of Owoyemi being endorsed by people who are not even members of our ruling house,” he said.
Ajidagba further stressed that the Fusengbuwa ruling house comprises eight units, which are; Osinuga, Adekenu, Olufadi, Adesimbo-Tunwase, Adebiyi, Adeberu, Shenowo, and Okuyendewo. He alleged that those backing Owoyemi were outsiders, insisting that his rival had questionable ancestral ties to Ijebu-Ode.
“I am a true son of the soil. Someone from Idowa, with roots traced to Ikoro-Ekiti, cannot suddenly become Olori-Ebi in Ijebu-Ode,” he maintained.
He also recalled that during the 90th birthday celebration of Oba Adetona, he represented the Fusengbuwa ruling house among the four recognized ruling houses of Ijebu-Ode; a further confirmation, he argued of his legitimacy.
Supporting Ajidagba’s claims, Alhaji Taheeb Mabadeje Alaga, head of the Ogbagba/Anikilaya ruling house and chairman of the four ruling houses in Ijebu-Ode, affirmed that Ajidagba remained the only recognized Olori-Ebi of the Fusengbuwa family.
“If anyone claims to be from Fusengbuwa and is not under the leadership of Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba, such a person is an impostor. Those parading themselves have never participated in our family’s activities. Ajidagba is the only authentic Olori-Ebi of Fusengbuwa that I know,” Alaga stated.
Alaga concluded by appealing to members of the Fusengbuwa family to remain steadfast and resist attempts by outsiders to hijack the family’s structure.
