The family head (Olori Ebi) of the Funsegbunwa Ruling House of Ijebuland, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, has declared that wealthy contenders will not be allowed to compromise the process of selecting the next Awujale of Ijebuland.

Speaking to journalists on Saturday at his country home in Idowa, Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State, Owoyemi revealed that at least eight aspirants to the throne had attempted to induce the family elders with money but were rebuffed.

 “So far, eight potential candidates to the Awujale throne have approached us with money but we turned it down. The council of elders told them that we don’t want anything of such. All that matters to us is a transparent and fair selection process where only the best from our ruling house are put forward to the kingmakers,” he said.

Owoyemi, a former president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), recalled that the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, had repeatedly warned against a monetized succession process.

“During the 2019 Ojude Oba festival, when it was being said that some people had budgeted ₦1bn to secure the throne, Oba Adetona warned that his succession must never be hijacked by moneybags. He insisted that whenever the time came, the right candidate, capable of lifting Ijebuland higher, must emerge,” Owoyemi explained.

On the claim by Prince Adedokun Ajidagba that he is the authentic head of the Funsegbunwa Ruling House, Owoyemi dismissed it, pointing to a 2024 Court of Appeal judgment in Ibadan which affirmed his status as Olori Ebi, an office he has held since 2013 after the death of Prince Fasasi Adeyemi.

He recalled that a splinter group had controversially named the late billionaire banker and FCMB founder, Otunba Subomi Balogun, as head of the family. Owoyemi challenged the move in court.

While the High Court in Ijebu Ode gave a partial ruling in his favour in 2018, it stopped short of declaring him Olori Ebi. He said he pursued the matter further, and on November 28, 2024, the Court of Appeal delivered a comprehensive ruling in his favour, settling all seven issues he raised.

Owoyemi urged all aggrieved members of the family to join hands for peace and unity in order to produce the best successor to the late Awujale.

“We are from the same mother; there should be no strife or unnecessary wranglings. We are even ready to make concessions, as long as they are not injurious or unreasonable, for the sake of peace,” he said.