Awujale Succession: Only Abidagba ‘Okurin’ Descendants from Olufadi, Tunwase Families Are Qualified — Princess Onasanya Insists

An 80-year-old royal matriarch and respected custodian of Ijebu heritage, Princess Sidikat Onasanya (née Adebisi), has declared that the next Awujale of Ijebuland must rightfully emerge from either the Olufadi or Tunwase royal families of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.

Princess Onasanya, the eldest daughter of the late Prince Fasasi Adebisi Adeyemi, popularly known as Obanlefa in Ijebu royal circles, made the assertion in a press release issued on October 22, 2025, emphasizing that her position is grounded in historical, oral, and gazetted records defining the legitimate succession order within the Fusengbuwa dynasty.

According to her, the Ijebu-Ode royal gazette explicitly states that if no eligible princes are available from the Abidagba Okurin lineage of Olufadi or Tunwase, then the Abidagba Obirin and Abidoye lineages may subsequently be considered. “The law and our tradition are clear,” she explained. “The first consideration must go to the Olufadi and Tunwase male lines before any other.”

The octogenarian princess outlined that the Fusengbuwa Ruling House consists of eight family units — Olufadi and Tunwase representing the Abidagba Okurin (male) lines, while Shenowo, Okunyandewo, Adebiyi, and Adeberu form the Abidagba Obirin (female) branches. The Oshinuga and Adekenu families, born before Fusengbuwa’s ascension, constitute the Abidoye lineages.

Recounting her ancestry, Princess Onasanya revealed that Oba Fusengbuwa had eight children from eight wives (Idi-Igi Mejo) — two born before his coronation in 1790 (Osinuga and Adekenu) and six born during his reign. The first male child born on the throne, Olufadekemi (Olufadi), was followed by Ali Adesimbo (Tunwase), both recognized as the first legitimate royal sons.

She noted that her late father, Prince Fasasi Adebisi Adeyemi Obanlefa, served as the Olori Ebi (head of the family) of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House for 25 years (1988–2013), working closely with the late Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the immediate past Awujale, until his passing at age 96 in 2013.

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Tracing the succession history, she recalled that a legitimate descendant of Ali Adesimbo Tunwase, Folagbade Adenuga, ascended as Awujale in 1925 but was later dethroned. Subsequently, the Olufadi line, represented by her great-grandfather Oduwole Obanlefa, was nominated for the stool in 1929, but the Fidipote family opposed consecutive rulership from the same house, paving the way for Oba Fibiwoga as a replacement.

“The Tunwase family has ruled as Awujale; it is now the turn of Olufadi, the descendants of Obanlefa, to be considered,” she asserted.

Reaffirming her stance, Princess Onasanya maintained that the Ile-Nla Compound acknowledges only the Olufadi and Tunwase lineages as legitimate heirs to the Awujale stool — except in the absence of male successors from those families.

She added that from both cultural and historical standpoints, Olufadi, being the first male child born on the throne, should take precedence — a position she said aligns with the 1959 Chiefs Law governing royal succession.

Princess Onasanya concluded by describing the Fusengbuwa family as one of the most expansive royal lineages in Ijebu-Ode, accounting for nearly 40% of the town’s royal descendants.

“If things are to be done properly and in accordance with our tradition, the next Awujale should come from the Olufadi lineage — even the late Oba Adetona himself often acknowledged this truth,” she concluded.