Awujale Stool Ruling House Sues Abiodun, Kingmakers Over Delayed Selection
The Fusengbuwa Ruling House in Ijebu-Ode has dragged the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, the Awujale kingmakers and other officials before the Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode over the delay in the selection of a new Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.
The suit, filed on August 21, 2026, with number HCJ/149/2026, is seeking orders compelling the completion of the process for selecting and appointing a successor to the late Awujale, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona.
The case was instituted by the Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Abdulateef Adebayo Owoyemi; Deputy Chairman, Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba; and Vice Chairman, Prof. Chief Fassy Yusuf.
Also joined as defendants are the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Ogun State, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN; the Ogun State Executive Council; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat; Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Dare Alebiosu; the Secretary of the local government; and members of the Awujale Afobaje/Kingmakers Council.
The claimants are asking the court to determine whether the state government had the legal authority to order or facilitate the alleged entry into and locking of the Awujale Palace on January 20, 2026, which they said prevented the kingmakers from meeting and concluding the statutory process for selecting the next monarch.
They also want the court to determine whether the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law 2021 permits the state government to halt the nomination or selection process for the Awujale.
The ruling house further wants the court to determine whether it had fully discharged its statutory responsibility after convening its meeting and completing its internal nomination process within the period prescribed by law.
The Awujale stool became vacant following the death of the late Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona on July 13, 2025, at the age of 91, after a historic 65-year reign.
According to the claimants, 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 Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law 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.
The claimants said 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 selection process.
However, they alleged 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 candidate from among the nominees.
A subsequent letter from the local government reportedly cited security concerns and allegations of bribery and financial inducement as reasons for the suspension of the process by the state government.
The Fusengbuwa Ruling House, however, 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.
In the 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 Ogun State Executive Council.
They also want the court to declare 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.
The claimants are also seeking an injunction restraining the state government and security agencies from further interfering with the selection process.
They further want the court to declare the alleged locking of the Awujale Palace in an attempt to halt the selection process unlawful and contrary to the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law 2021.
Counsel to the claimants, led by Otunba 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.
The suit therefore seeks judicial clarification on the powers of the state government, the obligations of the kingmakers and the legality of the steps taken to suspend the process for selecting the next Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.