Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba has rejected the recent endorsement of Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi as Olori-Ebi (head) of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, insisting that he remains the authentic Olori-Ebi, backed by both court rulings and family endorsements.
Speaking at a press conference in his Ijebu-Ode residence on Wednesday, Ajidagba dismissed Owoyemi’s endorsement at an event held on Sunday at the Otunba Tunwase Museum, describing it as illegitimate and misleading.
According to him, the matter had already been settled by the Court of Appeal in Ibadan in 2024, following a legal tussle that began with a 2018 judgment delivered by Justice A.O. Asenuga of the Ijebu-Ode High Court. He presented court documents spanning 36 pages, showing himself, Owoyemi, and Prince Adeleke Adeyemi Olufadi as appellants in the case.
Ajidagba explained that the appellate court ruling favoured the Fusengbuwa family, after which Owoyemi resigned his position as Olori-Ebi. He claimed that he subsequently emerged as Olori-Ebi with the endorsement of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba S.K. Adetona, and formal certification from the Ijebu-Ode Local Government.
“After the appellate court’s ruling, the late Awujale personally endorsed me, and I was issued a certificate of endorsement by the local government affirming my position. Since then, I have been functioning as Olori-Ebi of the Fusengbuwa family. It is shocking to see a video circulating on social media of Owoyemi being endorsed by people who are not even members of our ruling house,” he said.
Ajidagba further stressed that the Fusengbuwa ruling house comprises eight units, which are; Osinuga, Adekenu, Olufadi, Adesimbo-Tunwase, Adebiyi, Adeberu, Shenowo, and Okuyendewo. He alleged that those backing Owoyemi were outsiders, insisting that his rival had questionable ancestral ties to Ijebu-Ode.
“I am a true son of the soil. Someone from Idowa, with roots traced to Ikoro-Ekiti, cannot suddenly become Olori-Ebi in Ijebu-Ode,” he maintained.
He also recalled that during the 90th birthday celebration of Oba Adetona, he represented the Fusengbuwa ruling house among the four recognized ruling houses of Ijebu-Ode; a further confirmation, he argued of his legitimacy.
Supporting Ajidagba’s claims, Alhaji Taheeb Mabadeje Alaga, head of the Ogbagba/Anikilaya ruling house and chairman of the four ruling houses in Ijebu-Ode, affirmed that Ajidagba remained the only recognized Olori-Ebi of the Fusengbuwa family.
“If anyone claims to be from Fusengbuwa and is not under the leadership of Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba, such a person is an impostor. Those parading themselves have never participated in our family’s activities. Ajidagba is the only authentic Olori-Ebi of Fusengbuwa that I know,” Alaga stated.
Alaga concluded by appealing to members of the Fusengbuwa family to remain steadfast and resist attempts by outsiders to hijack the family’s structure.
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