Residents and indigenes of Ijebu on Friday staged a protest in Ijebu Ode over fears that the process of producing the next Awujale of Ijebuland is being manipulated to favour an “imposed” candidate.

The crowd gathered early at the Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona Archway, the main route leading to the Awujale’s palace, before marching in a long procession to the Ijebu Ode Local Government Headquarters in Itoro to register their grievances.

Those who participated in the protest accused unnamed powerful forces of working to pressure the kingmakers, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, and the larger Ijebu nation into accepting a successor not chosen through the laid-down traditional process.

The demonstration followed a circular issued by the Ogun State Government ordering a halt to the selection steps already being taken by the kingmakers.

The directive, dated January 20, 2026, reportedly instructed the kingmakers to stop further action on the nomination list submitted by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House. The list, according to sources, contains 95 nominees forwarded to the kingmakers by leaders of the ruling house, including Otunba Lateef Owoyemi (Olori Ebi), Prince Adedokun Ajidagba (Deputy Olori Ebi) and Professor Fassy Yusuf (Vice Chairman).

The state government’s intervention, conveyed by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, has since sparked intense debate in the town, with residents alleging that the move was designed to open the door for interference and eventual imposition.

Leading the protest, Mrs. Adenugba Obileye described the march as a peaceful action aimed at preventing breakdown of trust in the traditional succession system.

She said the protesters were at the local government headquarters to formally express their displeasure over what she called “thickening plots” to undermine the kingmakers and impose a monarch on the people.

Obileye warned that the selection of the next Awujale must follow due process, insisting that the revered stool should not be subjected to political or external influence.

As of the time of filing this report, the Ogun State Government has not issued a fresh explanation for the directive halting the selection process.