The protracted crisis surrounding the vacant stool of the Awujale of Ijebuland has taken another legal turn, with the Adele Oba Awujale-in-Council instituting a suit against Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, and other state officials over the establishment and reconstitution of the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council (AIAC).
The suit, marked HCJ/201/2026 and filed at the High Court of Ogun State, sitting in Ijebu-Ode, challenges the legality of the state government’s decision to establish an administrative council to oversee the affairs of Ijebuland during the interregnum following the death of the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, in July 2025.
According to a press statement issued by the Adele Oba Awujale-in-Council, led by the Adele and Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland, Olor’ogun Dr Sonny Kuku, the plaintiffs are asking the court to affirm the council’s position that the traditional Adele institution remains the legitimate authority responsible for managing the customary affairs of Ijebu-Ode during the vacancy on the Awujale throne.
The plaintiffs are also seeking a declaration that the establishment and subsequent reconstitution of the AIAC are inconsistent with the native laws, customs and traditions of Ijebu-Ode, as well as the provisions of the Ogun State Chiefs Law.
Among other reliefs, the suit seeks an order setting aside the reconstitution of the AIAC and the appointments of its members, whom the plaintiffs contend were appointed irregularly and without sufficient legal or customary authority.
The council is further asking the court to restrain Governor Abiodun, the relevant state officials and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs from interfering with or bypassing its customary administrative functions during the interregnum.
It also wants the court to restrain members of the AIAC from holding meetings or exercising traditional, civil or financial administrative authority over Ijebu-Ode under the disputed arrangement.
In addition to the substantive suit, the plaintiffs have filed a motion on notice seeking interlocutory injunctions to prevent members of the reconstituted council from performing administrative functions pending the determination of the case.
They are also asking the court to restrain the state government from recognising, dealing with or providing funding to the appointed members of the AIAC while the matter remains before the court.
Speaking on the development, Kuku said the legal action was not connected to the ongoing selection of a successor to the late monarch but was intended to protect the traditional administrative structure of Ijebuland.
He maintained that the succession process had reached the stage of deliberation by the kingmakers on a candidate from the 95 names reportedly submitted to them.
“This new suit has nothing to do with the succession process, which is already at the stage of deliberation on a candidate out of the 95 names sent to the Afobajes (Kingmakers),” Kuku was quoted as saying.
He described the litigation as an effort to preserve the cultural heritage and ancestral practices of Ijebu-Ode, insisting that the Adele institution, historically led by the Ogbeni Oja, predated the current administrative arrangement.
Kuku further argued that the state government had been advised on the traditional significance of the Adele institution before the initial AIAC was established.
Citing historical precedent, he said the administration of the former Premier of the Western Region, Chief S.L.A. Akintola, did not establish an interregnum administrative council before the installation of the late Oba Adetona in 1960.
The latest lawsuit adds another layer to the increasingly complicated succession crisis following the death of Oba Adetona July 13, 2025, who reigned for more than six decades and was one of Nigeria’s longest-serving traditional rulers.
The disagreement over the administration of Ijebuland during the interregnum dates back to August 2025, when the Ogun State Government initially established an interim administrative body.
Traditional chiefs and kingmakers subsequently moved to replace that arrangement with the Adele Oba Awujale-in-Council, prompting the state government to reconstitute the AIAC under a different leadership structure.
The dispute has unfolded alongside other legal challenges relating to the succession process.
The Fusengbuwa Ruling House had earlier instituted suit HCJ/149/2026 against the governor and kingmakers over the suspension of the selection exercise. Another case, HCJ/167/2026, reportedly arose from an internal leadership dispute within the ruling house.
Popular Fuji musician and Awujale aspirant, Otunba Wasiu Olasunkanmi Ayinde Marshal, popularly known as K1 De Ultimate, has also previously approached the court over alleged irregularities in the selection process.
Meanwhile, the selection exercise has reportedly been suspended twice by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs following petitions and concerns surrounding its conduct.
Although Governor Abiodun has expressed optimism that a new Awujale will emerge before May 29, 2027, the latest court action suggests that disagreements over who controls the traditional administration of Ijebuland during the interregnum remain far from resolved.
The Adele Oba Awujale-in-Council has urged residents and stakeholders to remain calm and law-abiding, insisting that the traditional heritage of Ijebuland must be protected through lawful means.
The court is now expected to determine the legal and customary questions raised by the plaintiffs, including the extent of the state government’s authority to establish an administrative structure during the interregnum.
The Daily Crucible reports that the latest legal battle underscores how the struggle surrounding the Awujale stool has widened beyond succession to a broader contest over tradition, authority and the administration of Ijebuland.
