The succession crisis over the vacant stool of the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland has taken a legal turn as the Fusengbuwa Ruling House has dragged the Ogun State Government and nine kingmakers to court.
The ruling house is asking the Ogun State High Court to order the kingmakers to resume and complete the process of selecting the next Awujale.
The suit was filed by Otunba AbduLateef Adebayo Owoyemi, Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba and Prof. Fassy Yusuf on behalf of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu-Ode.
The defendants include the Ogun State Governor, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Chairman and other officials of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, as well as the nine Awujale kingmakers.
The case, marked HCJ/149/2026, was filed at the High Court of Justice, Ijebu-Ode Judicial Division, and sworn to on August 21, 2026.
The ruling house is challenging the alleged closure of the Awujale Palace by the police, which it said was carried out on the instructions of the Ogun State Government.
It is also asking the court to declare that the government had no legal power to stop the selection process.
The Awujale stool became vacant following the death of the former monarch, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, on July 13, 2025, at the age of 91. He had ruled Ijebuland for 65 years.
According to the plaintiffs, Ijebu-Ode Local Government informed the Fusengbuwa Ruling House on December 2, 2025, that it was its turn to produce a candidate for the vacant stool under the rotational system provided by the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs’ Law 2021.
The ruling house said it began its nomination process and held a meeting on January 12, 2026, within the 14-day period required by law.
A total of 95 princes and princesses were nominated, and the list was sent to the nine-member Awujale Afobaje Kingmakers Council on January 19 for the next stage of the process.
The council is chaired by Olorogun Sonny Kuku, the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland and co-owner of Eko Hospital.
Other members include 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 ruling house alleged that less than 24 hours after the list was submitted, police officers entered the Awujale Palace after midnight on January 20 and prevented the kingmakers from meeting to choose a preferred candidate from the 95 nominees.
The state government later suspended the process, citing security concerns and allegations of bribery and financial inducement.
The plaintiffs, however, said no evidence or formal petition supporting the allegations was presented.
They also claimed that investigations by the police and the Department of State Services did not establish any wrongdoing.
The ruling house is asking the court to declare that its nomination process was properly completed and that the kingmakers are legally required to select a candidate from the list submitted to them.
It is also asking the court to direct the kingmakers to reconvene within seven days of the judgment and complete the selection process.
In addition, the plaintiffs want an injunction stopping the state government and security agencies from further interfering with the process.
They argued that the Ogun State chieftaincy law provides a clear process for nomination, selection and approval of a new monarch and that the process should be allowed to continue once it has been properly started.
The ruling house is also asking the court to determine whether the state government and other officials had the legal authority to order the police to enter and lock the Awujale Palace and stop the selection process.
Counsel to the plaintiffs, led by Otunba Olusegun Otayemi, also relied on previous court decisions in support of their arguments on statutory duties and fair hearing.
The case has not yet been heard, while responses from the defendants have not been made public.
