By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
The succession crisis over the vacant stool of the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland has taken a legal turn, with the Fusengbuwa Ruling House asking the Ogun State High Court to compel the kingmakers to conclude the selection of the next monarch.
The suit was filed by Otunba AbduLateef Adebayo Owoyemi (Oloriebi/Family Chairman), Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba(Family Deputy Chairman) and Prof. Fassy Yusuf(Vice Chairman)
The claimants/plaintiffs are suing for themselves and on behalf of the members of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House/Family of ljebu Ode while the Governor of Ogun State, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ogun State Executive Council, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chairman of Ijebu – Ode Local Government, Secretary to Ijebu Ode Local Government and nine Kingmakers headed by the Ogbeni Oja, Olorogun Sonny Kuku were listed as defendants.
The suit, marked HCJ/149/2026 was filed before the High Court of Justice, Ijebu Ode Judicial Division, and sworn to on August 21, 2026, challenges the lockdown of the Awujale Palace Ijebu – Ode, which the claimants alleged was carried out by the police on the instructions of Governor Dapo Abiodun – led State Government.
The ruling house is also seeking declarations that the alleged interference was unlawful and that the government lacked the legal authority to halt the selection process.
The Awujale stool became vacant following the death of the late monarch, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, on July 13, 2025 at the age of 91 and after a historic 65 – year reign.
The plaintiffs claimed that the Ijebu Ode Local Government notified the Fusengbuwa Ruling House on December 2, 2025, that it was its turn to produce a candidate under the rotational arrangement provided by the Obas and Chiefs’ Law of Ogun State 2021.
The ruling house subsequently commenced its nomination process and held a meeting on January 12, 2026, within the 14-day period prescribed by Section 16(1)(b) of the law. A total of 95 princes and princesses were nominated, with the full list forwarded to the nine-member Awujale Afobaje Kingmakers Council on January 19 for the next stage of the process.
The kingmakers council is chaired by the renowned co – owners of Eko Hospital Lagos, Olor’gun Sonny Kuku, who is also the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland.
Other kingmakers are Chief Rasheed Adesanya (Olisa), Chief Oluwaranti Lekan Osifeso (Olootu Olowa), Chief Jimi Lawal (Olootu Ifore), Chief Abimbola Okenla (Kakanfo Awujale), Chief Kunle Ogunade (Apebi), Chief Agboola Alausa (Balogun), Chief Adebisi Adaran, also known as Gbenden (Ogbeni Odi), and Chief Ayotunde Ola Odulaja (Lapoekun and Secretary).
The claimants alleged that less than 24 hours after the list was submitted, police officers stormed the Awujale Palace after midnight on January 20 and obstructed the kingmakers from meeting to select a preferred candidate among the 95 npminees.
A subsequent letter from the local government cited security concerns and allegations of bribery and financial inducement as reasons for suspending the process by the state government.
The suit names the Executive Chairman of Ijebu Ode Local Government, Hon. Dare Alebiosu, who had approved the commencement of the process on January 6, and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat as among the defendants.
The claimants alleged that Hamzat later petitioned the Eleweeran Police Station in Abeokuta on February 2, 2026, requesting that the kingmakers and principal officers of the ruling house be invited for questioning regarding allegations of bribery and financial inducements.
The Fusengbuwa Ruling House, however, contends that no evidence or formal petition supporting the allegations was presented. It further claims that investigations by the police and the Department of State Services did not establish any wrongdoing.
In their suit, the claimants are asking the court to declare that the nomination process was validly completed and that the kingmakers are legally required under Sections 16(1)(e)-(f) of the law to select a candidate from the submitted list and forward the name to the State Executive Council.
They also contend that the Executive Council is required under Section 22 of the law 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 state government and security agencies from further interfering with the process.
The claimants/plaintiffs also want the court to determine: “(i) Whether having regard to the strict provisions of Section 16 (c ) of the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021 and having convened a meeting of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, and completed the internal nomination of candidate(s) within the time prescribed by law, the Claimants are not deemed to have duly and completely discharged the their statutory responsibility of nominating candidate(s) for the vacant stool of Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.
(iii) Whether having regard to the strict provisions of section 16 (e) of the Obas and Chiefs’ Law of Ogun State, 2021, and the Chieftaincy Declaration regulating the selection of the Awujale of ljebuland, and upon the delivery of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House/Family Nomination List to the 7 – 15th Defendants, the 7h – 15th Defendants did not become obligated to proceed to select a person to fill the vacant stool of Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, and thereafter to forward the name of the person so selected to the 3rd Defendant.
(iv) Whether by the provisions of Section 22 of the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021, the 3rd Defendant is not obligated, upon the presentation of a selected candidate to it, to act on such selection.
(v) Whether the lst, 2nd, 3rd 4t, 5lh and 6lh Defendants, or any of them, possessed any power under the Obas and Chiefs’ Law of Ogun State, 2021, or any other written law, to direct or cause the forcible entry into, and locking of, the Awujale Palace by officers of the Nigerian Police as was done after the midnight of Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
Consequently, the claimants are seeking among others: “(a) A DECLARATION that the Claimants, having convened their Ruling House meeting and completed the nomination of candidate(s) on or about the 12 January, 2026 pursuant to the Public Notice published on 4th December, 2025, and the letter of the 6h of January, 2026, have fully and duly discharged their statutory responsibility of nominating candidate(s) for the vacant stool of Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland under section 16(1)(b) of the Obas and Chiefs’ Law of Ogun State, 2021, and are accordingly estopped from being required to reopen, repeat, or recommence the said nomination process.
(b) A DECLARATION that the 7th – 15th Defendants, having received the Fusengbuwa Ruling House/Family Nomination List on 19th January, 2026, are obligated by section 16(1)(e) and () of the Obas and Chiefs’ Law of Ogun State, 2021 to select a candidate therefrom and to forward the name of their selected or preferred candidate to the 3rd Defendant.
(c) A DECLARATION that the lock-out of the Awujale Palace, purporting to halt the selection process, is unlawful, ultra vires the Obas and Chiefs’ Law of Ogun
State, 2021, and done in breach of the Clạimants’ and the 7h 15th Defendants’ right to fair hearing, and is accordingly null, void and of no effect.”
Counsel to the claimants, led by Otunba Olusegun Otayemi, in the originating summon, argued that the state’s chieftaincy law provides a sequential process of nomination, selection and approval, which must be followed once initiated.
The legal team also cited previous judicial decisions, including Menakaya v. Menakaya and Garba v. University of Maiduguri, in support of its arguments on statutory duties and fair hearing.
The case is yet to be heard.
