~Press Statement by the Ijebu Ode Coalition for Due Process (ICDP)

The battle for the Awujale stool has taken a dramatic turn, with the Ijebu Ode Coalition for Due Process (ICDP) accusing some interests of “twisting clear laws to suit hidden agendas.” In a hard-hitting statement, the group declared that the rulebook is already written and cannot be rewritten midstream.
“The only lawful instrument for selecting an Awujale is the declaration in force,” the ICDP said. “Anything outside it is noise.”
According to the group, that rulebook is the 1957 Declaration made under Section 4(2) of the Chiefs Law, which governs the customary law for selecting the Awujale of Ijebuland. “It is the alpha and omega of the process,” the ICDP insisted.
The declaration, the coalition stressed, leaves nothing to chance. It names the ruling houses, fixes the order of rotation, spells out who can contest, lists the 13 kingmakers, and lays down how family heads must submit names. “It is a complete manual,” the ICDP said, “not a suggestion.”
At the centre of the storm is Section 3 of the declaration, which defines eligibility. “Candidates must be members of the ruling house and of the male line,” the group said. “Female-line succession is only a last resort, and only when there is no eligible male. Without this rule, anyone could wake up tomorrow and demand the crown.”
Those arguing that the Ogun State Chieftaincy Law of 2021 changed the rules were sharply rebuked. “That claim is false,” the ICDP fired back. “The 2021 law did not cancel the declaration. It strengthened it.”
Quoting Section 10 of the 2021 law, the coalition noted that any registered declaration is deemed the customary law regulating selection, to the exclusion of any other usage or rule. “That phrase means total lockdown,” the ICDP said. “No additions. No subtractions. No substitutions.”
The group also pointed to Section 11(4), which forbids any amendment to a declaration during a vacancy unless all ruling houses agree. “You cannot change the rules while the seat is empty,” the ICDP warned. “That is like moving the goalpost during a penalty kick.”
On Section 15 of the 2021 law, often cited to justify broader eligibility, the ICDP said critics were being dishonest. “Yes, it says ‘the person must be a descendant,’” the group noted. “But the declaration already defines who that person is. Male line first. End of story.”
In blunt terms, the coalition said the law leaves no room for clever interpretation. “The 2021 law guides how the declaration is used,” it said. “It does not erase it, dilute it, or rewrite it.”
The message to stakeholders was unmistakable. “Family heads should print the declaration, read it, and sleep with it,” the ICDP said. “The 13 kingmakers must do the same. This is the law of the land.”
The group ended with a warning shot. “Anyone claiming the 1957 declaration has been overtaken by events is pushing mischief,” the ICDP said. “Until a new declaration is lawfully made, the 1957 rules stand firm. The 2021 law backs them. Period.”