Legal Dispute Over the Selection of the Awujale
The Fusengbuwa Ruling House in Ijebu-Ode has taken legal action against several key figures, including the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; the Awujale kingmakers; and five others, such as the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Dare Alebiosu. This legal move aims to compel the completion of the process for selecting the next Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.
The lawsuit, 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 defendants include the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Mr Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN); the Ogun State Executive Council; the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat; and the Secretary of Ijebu-Ode Local Government. Additionally, members of the Awujale Afobaje/Kingmakers Council are also listed as defendants.
Key Questions Raised in the Lawsuit
The claimants are seeking answers from the court on several critical issues. They want to determine if the government had the legal authority to order or facilitate the alleged entry into and locking of the Awujale Palace on January 20, 2026, to prevent the kingmakers from convening and concluding the statutory selection process for the new Awujale. They also seek clarification on whether the Obas and Chiefs Law allows the state government to halt the nomination or selection process under any circumstances.
Another important question is whether the Fusengbuwa Ruling House fulfilled its statutory responsibility under Section 16 of the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021 after completing its internal nomination process within the prescribed time frame. The claimants further ask if the kingmakers, upon receiving the ruling house’s nomination list, were obligated to select a candidate from the list and forward the name to the Ogun State Executive Council.
Additionally, the claimants want to know if the statutory process for selecting the new Awujale had commenced following notices issued by the sixth defendant on December 2, 2025, December 4, 2025, and January 6, 2026.
Background of the Awujale Stool Vacancy
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, after a historic 65-year reign. The plaintiffs claimed that Ijebu-Ode Local Government notified the ruling house on December 2, 2025, that it was their turn to produce a candidate under the rotational arrangement provided by the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021.
The ruling house then commenced its nomination process and held a meeting on January 12, 2026, within the 14 days prescribed by Section 16(1)(b) of the law. According to the claimants, 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, 2026, for the next stage of the process.
Allegations of Unlawful Interference
The claimants allege that less than 24 hours after the list was submitted, police officers stormed the Awujale Palace after midnight on January 20 and prevented the kingmakers from meeting to select a preferred candidate from among the 95 nominees. A subsequent letter from the local government cited security concerns and allegations of bribery and financial inducement as reasons for the suspension of the process by the state government.
However, the ruling house contended that no evidence or formal petition supporting the allegations was presented. It further claimed that investigations by the police and the Department of State Services did not establish any wrongdoing.
Legal Requests and Relief Sought
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) and (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.
Specific Legal Questions
The claimants also want the court to determine:
- 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 their statutory responsibility of nominating candidate(s) for the vacant stool of Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.
- 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 Ijebuland, and upon the delivery of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House/Family Nomination List to the seventh to 15th defendants, the seventh to 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 forward the name of the person so selected to the third defendant.
- Whether, by the provisions of Section 22 of the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021, the third defendant is not obligated, upon the presentation of a selected candidate to it, to act on such selection.
- Whether the first to sixth 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 midnight on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
Additional Reliefs Sought
Consequently, the claimants are seeking, among other reliefs:
- A declaration that the claimants, having convened their Ruling House meeting and completed the nomination of candidate(s) on or about January 12, 2026, pursuant to the public notice published on December 4, 2025, and the letter of January 6, 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.
- A declaration that the seventh to 15th defendants, having received the Fusengbuwa Ruling House/Family Nomination List on January 19, 2026, are obligated by Section 16(1)(e) and (f) 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 third defendant.
- A declaration that the lockout 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 claimants’ and the seventh to 15th defendants’ right to fair hearing, and is accordingly null, void and of no effect.
Counsel for the claimants, led by Olusegun Otayemi, argued in the originating summons that the state’s chieftaincy law provides a sequential process of nomination, selection and approval, which must be followed once initiated.
