The daily torch media
The Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, has said the family was forced to seek judicial intervention over the stalled selection of the next Awujale of Ijebuland because it could no longer afford to wait indefinitely.
Owoyemi spoke with Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, after Wednesday’s proceedings at the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu-Ode over a suit filed by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House against Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Awujale kingmakers and other stakeholders.
The ruling house is seeking the completion of the selection process for the next Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.
The vacation judge, Justice A. A. Omoniyi, returned the case file to the administrative judge for reassignment, explaining that he would proceed on his annual vacation within the next week and might not return to duty until January 2027.
Justice Omoniyi said he was aware of the urgency of the suit, numbered HCJ/149/2026 and filed on August 21, 2026, but noted that the limited time available before his vacation made it difficult for him to commence proceedings.
According to the judge, the circumstances of the case, the interest of justice and the need for the matter to progress required the file to be returned to the administrative judge for possible reassignment to another judge returning from vacation.
The administrative judge may also decide whether Justice Omoniyi should continue with the case when he resumes.
The matter was adjourned to September 23, 2026, for further hearing.
‘We Can’t Wait Forever’
Reacting to the development, Owoyemi said the ruling house had already waited for seven months despite completing its part of the selection process within the period prescribed by law.
He said the ruling house had 14 days under the law to complete its responsibility but finished the process within 10 days before submitting the necessary documents to the kingmakers.
According to him, the kingmakers were then expected to complete the next stage within seven days.
“We waited for seven months. We had only 14 days by the law to do what we have done. And we did it within 10 days and immediately we delivered the papers to the kingmakers, they only had seven days to finish and appoint an Awujale.”
Owoyemi said the process was subsequently halted following petitions which, according to him, the ruling house had not been given access to.
“From nowhere, a letter came asking that the whole thing stop because of what they call petitions which we never saw. We don’t know who wrote the petitions, the security report which we have never seen a copy of till today’s date.”
He said several religious and community leaders had attempted to engage the governor on the matter without success.
“We’ve been waiting for seven months! The Imam, the Muslims of Ijebuland, the Christians of Ijebuland, have tried all they could in the whole world to have access to the governor so that this matter can move forward, but nothing has happened! We can’t wait forever! And we have to approach the court for intervention.”
Lawyer: Selection Process Should Not Be Deliberately Stopped
Earlier, counsel to the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Olusegun Otayemi, told the court that all 15 defendants had been duly served and that his clients were ready to proceed with the suit.
Speaking after the proceedings, Otayemi said the ruling house approached the court because the selection process had already commenced before it was stopped.
He argued that while legitimate circumstances could cause delays, the process should not be deliberately halted.
“We’ve brought an action, essentially, because there was a stoppage of selection process after it has been initiated. And the law, as we know it, does not permit of a deliberate stoppage.”
Otayemi added that the prolonged vacancy of the Awujale stool was a matter of concern to residents of Ijebu-Ode and the wider Ijebuland.
“Ijebu-Ode cannot remain kingless for so long. And that’s one of the reasons why we are in court.”
Kingmakers Want Statutory Duties Respected
Meanwhile, Asiwaju Kunle Kalejaiye, SAN, counsel representing the seventh to 15th defendants, including the kingmakers, said his clients wanted the Afobajes to be allowed to perform their statutory responsibilities while the government carried out its own duties.
Kalejaiye said the appointment of recognised chiefs was governed by the relevant Chiefs Law and subject to prescribed timelines.
He said the kingmakers’ position was essentially that they should be allowed to complete the selection process without interference.
According to him, the applicable timelines include seven, 14 and 21-day periods for different stages of the process.
On the court’s decision to return the case file to the administrative judge, Kalejaiye said the matter could either be reassigned to another judge or returned to Justice Omoniyi if the administrative judge directed him to continue with the case after his vacation.
Fusengbuwa Challenges Government’s Role
The Fusengbuwa Ruling House had dragged Governor Abiodun, the Awujale kingmakers and other government officials before the High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode.
Among the defendants is the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Dare Alebiosu.
The suit, numbered HCJ/149/2026 and dated August 21, 2026, was filed by Owoyemi; Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba, deputy chairman; and Prof. Chief Fassy Yusuf, vice chairman of the ruling house.
Other defendants include the Ogun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN; the Ogun State Executive Council; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat; and the Secretary of Ijebu-Ode Local Government.
Members of the Awujale Afobaje/Kingmakers Council listed as defendants include Olorogun Sonny Kuku, Chief Rasheed Adesanya, Chief Oluwaranti Lekan Osifeso, Chief Jimi Lawal, Chief Abimbola Okenla, Chief Kunle Ogunade, Chief Agboola Alausa, Chief Adebisi Adaran and Chief Ayotunde Ola Odulaja.
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 was intended to prevent the kingmakers from meeting and completing the statutory selection process.
They are also asking the court to determine whether the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021 permits the government to halt the nomination or selection process for the Awujale under any circumstance.
The ruling house further wants the court to determine whether, having convened its meeting and completed its internal nomination process within the period prescribed by law, it had discharged its statutory responsibility under Section 16 of the law.
Awujale Stool Vacant Since July 2025
The Awujale stool became vacant in July 2025 following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona, who died at the age of 91 after more than six decades on the throne.
The Ogun State Government halted the selection process in January 2026, citing petitions from security agencies and stakeholders, following an earlier suspension over procedural concerns in December 2025.
A total of 95 aspirants — 94 princes and one princess — reportedly emerged from the ruling house nomination exercise conducted in Ijebu-Ode in December before the government halted the process.
The latest court proceedings have therefore added a new legal dimension to the prolonged process of selecting the next Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.
