Don’t Sit On Awujale Throne Without Oracle’s Approval, Paseda Cautions Candidates
ABEOKUTA- The Omo Oluisa of Ijebuland, Otunba Rotimi Paseda, has warned against incurring the wrath of oracle by choosing candidate for the Awujale stool without the approval of the ancestors.
Otunba Paseda noted that it is a taboo and grave sacrilege to appoint anyone to sit on the vacant Awujale stool without being chosen and blessed by the oracle.
The Omo Oluisa of Ijebuland further stressed that a person who ascends the throne without the mandate of the ancestors is believed to sit under a curse rather than a crown.
According to him, such a ruler will be seen as rejected by destiny and unprotected by the ancestors.
He emphasized that installing a political candidate without the approval of the oracle will bring disorder, personal ruin, ancestral condemnation, unrest, and persistent misfortune to the entire Ijebuland.
“Among the Ijebu people, the Awujale stool is not an ordinary seat of authority but a sacred covenant binding the living, the ancestors, and the land. It is said, “A kì í jókòó lórí àga ẹ̀mí bí a kò bá pè é”—one does not sit on a spiritual throne without being summoned. Therefore, to occupy the Awujale stool without being chosen and blessed by the oracle is regarded as a grave sacrilege.
“Traditionally, the oracle represents the final voice of divine and ancestral will. A person who ascends the throne without this mandate is believed to sit under a curse rather than a crown. Such a ruler is seen as spiritually exposed, rejected by destiny, and unprotected by the ancestors. As the elders warn, “Ẹni tí orí rẹ̀ kò gbà á, àga ò ní gbà á”—he whom destiny rejects cannot be accepted by the throne.
“Ijebu oral tradition recalls rulers whose reigns became cautionary tales—short, turbulent, and dishonorable. Their names are not praised but whispered, remembered only as warnings. In Yoruba thought, this loss of honorable remembrance is a terrible punishment, for memory secures ancestral continuity.
“The danger extends beyond the individual to the entire land. The Awujale is the spiritual pillar of Ijebuland, and when an illegitimate king sits, the land itself is believed to fall into disorder. Disunity, unrest, and persistent misfortune are interpreted as signs that the sacred balance has been broken. Hence the proverb: “Tí ọba bá jẹ́ arufin, ilẹ̀ á di aláìlera”—when a king is unlawful, the land becomes sick.
“Elders speak plainly: a man may deceive people, but he cannot deceive the oracle or silence the ancestors. No matter the display of power or ceremony, authority without divine approval remains hollow and unstable.
“Ijebu tradition teaches that true kingship is revealed, not seized. Any attempt to sit on the Awujale stool without oracle sanction is believed to invite personal ruin, ancestral condemnation, and communal suffering. As the final warning declares: a throne taken without authority will ultimately take its sitter in return.”
