By Peter Omopo
The Bubiade Royal Family of Ijebu-Ode has called for fairness and recognition of its customary rights in the ongoing process to select a new Awujale of Ijebuland.
The family said its lineage deserves the opportunity to produce the next monarch and urged authorities involved in the process to correct what it described as a long-standing imbalance within the royal lineage.
Speaking at a briefing in Ijebu-Ode, the Olori-Ebi of the Bubiade Royal Family, Alhaji Olaide Yusuf Busura, said the appeal was aimed at addressing historical exclusion from the Awujale throne.
Busura explained that the Bubiade lineage traces its ancestry to Oba Jadiara, a former Awujale of Ijebu-Ode, noting that Bubiade was the first child of the monarch.
He said another child of Jadiara, Funsegbuwa, later produced Tunwase, whose descendants have historically produced several Awujales.
According to him, historical records indicate that the throne has rotated mainly between the descendants of Funsegbuwa and Tunwase, leaving the Bubiade lineage without the opportunity to ascend the throne.
He listed past monarchs from the other branches, including Oba Funsegbuwa, Adesimbo Tunwase, Adekoya Eleruja, and Adenuga Folagbade, who became Awujale in 1925.
Busura said the current selection process provides an opportunity to address the imbalance, noting that about eight eligible princes have emerged from the Bubiade lineage compared with about 75 candidates from other branches.
He argued that the situation highlights the challenge faced by a lineage that has never produced a monarch while competing with branches that have held the throne multiple times.
The family also raised constitutional concerns, citing provisions of the Ogun State Chiefs Law 2021 and warning that excluding the Bubiade descendants from the process could conflict with Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, which prohibits discrimination based on circumstances of birth.
Busura noted that in Yoruba traditional governance, kingship is determined through customary selection among eligible princes from recognised royal lineages rather than automatic inheritance.
He appealed to the regent of Ijebu-Ode, Dr Sunny Kuku, the kingmakers, traditional rulers in Ijebuland, and the Ijebu-Ode Local Government authorities to ensure fairness in the selection process.
“It is not a departure from tradition but a restoration of fairness within tradition,” he said, urging all sons and daughters of Ijebu to uphold justice and unity to preserve peace in the kingdom.
The Ogun State Government had earlier suspended the selection process for the second time in January following petitions from security agencies and other stakeholders.
The Awujale stool became vacant in July 2025 after the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona at the age of 91, following a reign that lasted 65 years.
A total of 95 aspirants — 94 princes and one princess from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House — had earlier emerged during a nomination meeting held at Bisrod Hall in the Government Reserved Area of Ijebu-Ode.
The kingmakers, led by Dr Sunny Kuku, were preparing to begin the selection process when the state government imposed the suspension.
Meanwhile, the head of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Abdulateef Owoyemi, has urged Governor Dapo Abiodun to allow the kingmakers to complete their assignment, noting that the prolonged delay has caused frustration among members of the royal family and Ijebu indigenes both at home and in the diaspora.
