The Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu-Ode has instituted a legal action against the Ogun State Government and members of the Awujale Afobaje/Kingmakers Council over the suspended process for selecting a new Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.
The suit, filed at the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu-Ode, names Governor Dapo Abiodun, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN), the state Executive Council, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, and officials of Ijebu-Ode Local Government as defendants.
The ruling house also joined members of the Awujale Afobaje/Kingmakers Council as defendants, including Sonny Kuku, Rasheed Adesanya, Oluwaranti Osifeso, Jimi Lawal, Abimbola Okenla, Kunle Ogunade, Agboola Alausa, Adebisi Adaran and Ayotunde Odulaja.
The suit, dated August 21, 2026, was filed by the Chairman of the ruling house, Abdulateef Owoyemi; Deputy Chairman, Adedokun Ajidagba; and Vice Chairman, Prof Fassy Yusuf.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether the state government had the legal authority under the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021 to halt the selection process or facilitate the entry and locking of the Awujale Palace on January 20, 2026.
They are also challenging the suspension of the process after the ruling house completed its nomination exercise and submitted its list of nominees to the kingmakers.
The Awujale stool became vacant following the death of Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona on July 13, 2025, aged 91, after a 65-year reign.
According to the plaintiffs, Ijebu-Ode Local Government notified the Fusengbuwa Ruling House on December 2, 2025, that it was the ruling house entitled to produce a candidate under the rotational arrangement provided by the state’s chieftaincy law.
The ruling house subsequently conducted its nomination meeting on January 12, 2026, within the 14-day period prescribed by law.
The plaintiffs said 95 princes and princesses were nominated and that the full list was forwarded to the nine-member Awujale Afobaje Kingmakers Council on January 19, 2026.
They alleged that police officers subsequently entered the Awujale Palace after midnight on January 20 and prevented the kingmakers from meeting to select a candidate from the nominees.
The state government later cited security concerns and allegations of bribery and financial inducement as reasons for suspending the process.
The ruling house, however, disputed the allegations, claiming that no evidence or formal petition substantiating them was presented. It also alleged that investigations by the police and the Department of State Services failed to establish any wrongdoing.
The plaintiffs are seeking declarations that they validly completed their statutory responsibility by nominating candidates and that the kingmakers became legally obligated to select a candidate from the submitted list and forward the name to the Ogun State Executive Council.
They further argued that the Executive Council is required under Section 22 of the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021 to act on the kingmakers’ selection.
Among other reliefs, the ruling house is asking the court to order the kingmakers to reconvene within seven days of judgment and complete the selection process.
It is also seeking an injunction restraining the Ogun State Government and security agencies from further interfering with the process.
Counsel for the claimants, led by Olusegun Otayemi, argued in the originating summons that the state’s chieftaincy law establishes a sequential process of nomination, selection and approval which must be followed once initiated.
The ruling house is therefore asking the court to declare the alleged lockout of the Awujale Palace and the suspension of the selection process unlawful and contrary to the provisions of the state’s chieftaincy law.
