DSS invites all 95 nominees for vacant Awujale stool for meeting at their Ijebu Ode offices

ALL 96 candidates who have been nominated to fill the vacant stool of the Awujale of Ijebu Ode have been asked to report to the local offices of the Department of State Services (DSS) as the race for the coveted throne appears to have heated up significantly.

In what will certainly be a worrying development for all participants in this race, this sudden invitation is certain to raise eyebrows. Earlier this week, the Awujale Kingmakers Council had announced a meet-and-greet session scheduled for today at the monarch's palace, whereby all the nominees would get to fraternise.

However, in a sudden volte farce, the meeting was cancelled and the nominated princes have been asked to report to the DSS office in Ijebu Ode instead. This invitation was contained in a formal communication addressed to the chairman of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, Otunba Lateef Owoyemi, his deputy Otunba Dokun Ajidagba and the vice chairman, Professor Fassy Yusuf.

All Awujale nominees are required to present themselves at the DSS office located along NTA Road, beside the State Psychiatric Hospital, off Igbeba Road, Ijebu-Ode. The letter, signed by the secretary of the Awujale Afobaje Council, Chief Ayotunde Ola Odulaja, urged all concerned nominees to comply strictly with the directive and ensure punctuality.

It expressed regret for any inconvenience the sudden change may cause. This ;latest development is coming amid ongoing traditional processes surrounding Awujale-related nominations in Ijebuland.

Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration had earlier halted the exercise on December 18, 2025, citing procedural errors. On January 6, 2026, the government directed the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to resume the process and conclude it within 14 days.

Now,  just as the Awujale kingmakers were set to select one candidate from the 95 nominees, the state government again suspended the exercise again. One source close to the DSS disclosed that the invitation of the nominees was for profiling purposes.

On July 13, last year, the last Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona passed away at the age of 91 and the traditional kingmakers began the process of naming a new monarch. At the Awujale's death Governor Dapo Abiodun said it was indeed a double sadness that Oba Adetona joined his ancestors the same day that President Muhammadu Buhari died in a London hospital.