AWUJALE SUCCESSION: COURT RETURNS FUSENGBUWA SUIT FOR REASSIGNMENT
Vacation judge cites impending annual vacation; matter adjourned to September 23 as Ruling House challenges stoppage of selection process
By Femi Mebude
Ijebu Today | Today RadioTV Online Station | Igboro Lawa Update
IJEBU-ODE, OGUN STATE — The legal contest over the prolonged vacancy of the stool of the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland took another turn on Wednesday as a vacation judge of the Ogun State High Court, sitting in Ijebu-Ode, returned the suit filed by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House to the administrative judge for reassignment.
Justice A. A. Omoniyi of Court 3, who presided over the matter as a vacation judge, said he would be proceeding on his annual vacation within the next one week and might not return to duty until January 2027.
The judge acknowledged the urgency of the case but explained that the limited time available to him before his vacation made it difficult to undertake the substantive hearing.
He consequently ruled, in the interim, that the case file be returned to the administrative judge for reassignment and adjourned the matter to September 23, 2026, for continued hearing.
The suit, numbered HCJ/149/2026 and filed on August 21, 2026, was instituted by the leadership of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House against Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Ogun State Government, members of the Awujale Afobaje/Kingmakers Council and other defendants over the alleged stoppage of the process for selecting the next Awujale.
The court's latest action is procedural and does not amount to a determination of the substantive issues raised in the suit.
FUSENGBUWA READY TO PROCEED
Earlier, counsel to the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Olusegun Otayemi, told the court that all 15 defendants had been duly served with the court processes and that the claimants were ready to proceed with the matter.
However, Otunba Kunle Kalejaiye, SAN, who announced his appearance for the 7th to 15th defendants, including members of the Awujale Kingmakers Council, said the defendants were still within the stipulated period to file their responses.
A state counsel, W. A. Onawole, also announced his appearance for Governor Abiodun, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and other government defendants, stating that their responses would be filed within the prescribed period.
Also present in court were members of the Awujale Kingmakers Council, led by Olorogun (Dr.) Sunny Kuku, co-founder of EKO Hospital and the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland.
The leadership of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House was also represented by its Chairman, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi; Deputy Chairman, Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba; and Vice Chairman, Prof. Fassy Yusuf.
WHY THE RULING HOUSE WENT TO COURT
Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, Otayemi said the ruling house approached the court to challenge what it described as unnecessary government interference in a succession process that had already commenced.
According to him, the family was particularly concerned about the alleged deliberate stoppage of the process after the ruling house had completed its statutory nomination exercise.
He argued that while legitimate circumstances could cause delays, a deliberate or orchestrated stoppage of a process already initiated under the law should not be allowed to continue indefinitely.
Otayemi stressed that the matter was urgent because of the prolonged vacancy of the Awujale stool.
“Ijebu Ode cannot remain kingless for so long,”
he said, stressing the need for the succession process to move forward within the framework of the law.
“WE CANNOT WAIT FOREVER” — OWOYEMI
Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, said the family had waited for several months and had complied with the period prescribed for its part of the selection process.
Owoyemi maintained that the ruling house completed its nomination exercise within the required period and subsequently delivered the necessary documents to the kingmakers.
According to him, the process was later halted following petitions and what was described as security reports.
He alleged that the ruling house had not been given copies of the petitions or security reports upon which the decision to suspend the process was based.
Owoyemi said the family had made several efforts through religious and community leaders to facilitate dialogue and secure an opportunity to resolve the matter with the state government.
He maintained that the continued delay had become unacceptable, adding:
“We can't wait forever!”
He said the decision to approach the court was therefore taken as a means of seeking lawful intervention.
HOW THE SUCCESSION PROCESS REACHED THE COURT
The present litigation is the latest development in a succession process that has experienced a series of interruptions since the death of Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, GCON, in July 2025.
The Awujale stool became vacant following the death of the monarch at the age of 91, after an unprecedented 65-year reign.
Following the vacancy, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House commenced its internal nomination process in accordance with the succession arrangement applicable to the Awujale stool.
The process subsequently became subject to government intervention over procedural concerns, petitions and security-related considerations.
The nomination exercise eventually produced 95 aspirants — 94 princes and one princess, according to the figures presented in reports on the process.
The list was thereafter presented to the Awujale kingmakers for the next stage of the traditional selection procedure.
It was at this stage that another suspension of the process occurred, leading to increasing concern among stakeholders and eventually to the present litigation.
WHAT FUSENGBUWA IS ASKING THE COURT TO DETERMINE
The suit raises fundamental questions about the respective roles and powers of the ruling house, Awujale kingmakers and Ogun State Government in the selection of the next monarch.
Among the issues submitted for judicial determination is 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, allegedly to physically prevent the kingmakers from convening and concluding their statutory selection process.
The claimants are also asking 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 under any guise.
Another key issue is whether, having convened its meeting and completed its internal nomination process within the period prescribed by law, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House had discharged its statutory responsibility under Section 16 of the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law 2021.
The claimants are further seeking appropriate orders compelling the completion of the selection process, subject to the court's determination of the legal issues before it.
THE GOVERNMENT'S POSITION
The government's position is also central to the matter.
The Ogun State Government has previously maintained that its intervention was not arbitrary, but followed petitions, security reports and concerns raised by stakeholders.
The government has cited the need to protect peace, public order and the integrity of the Awujale institution, while also raising concerns about aspects of the succession process.
It had earlier intervened in the process over procedural issues before allowing it to resume after steps were taken to address the concerns.
These competing positions are now before the court.
It is therefore important to stress that the allegations and legal claims contained in the suit remain matters for judicial determination and should not be treated as established facts at this stage.
THE LARGER QUESTION: WHO CONTROLS THE SUCCESSION PROCESS?
Beyond the immediate dispute between the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and the state government, the case raises a broader constitutional and traditional question concerning the administration of the Awujale stool.
At the centre of the dispute is the relationship between:
Ruling House → Kingmakers/Afobajes → State Government/Executive Council
The eventual interpretation of the applicable law may clarify the extent of the responsibilities of each of these institutions and the point at which governmental intervention may lawfully occur.
The case could therefore have implications beyond the present succession exercise, particularly for the administration of traditional rulership and succession procedures in Ogun State.
THE INTERREGNUM
While the legal and traditional processes continue, arrangements have been made for the administration of Ijebu-Ode during the period without a substantive Awujale.
The state government established an administrative structure to oversee aspects of traditional administration during the interregnum pending the emergence of a new monarch.
However, such interim arrangements do not resolve the central issue of succession.
For many stakeholders across Ijebuland, the fundamental question remains when and through what lawful procedure the next Awujale will emerge.
SEPTEMBER 23: ANOTHER STAGE BEGINS
With the case now adjourned to September 23, 2026, attention shifts to the reassignment of the suit and the commencement of substantive proceedings before the appropriate judge.
The defendants are expected to present their formal responses, while the claimants will pursue their legal arguments challenging the alleged stoppage of the selection process.
The court will ultimately be required to determine the legal questions raised by the parties.
Until then, neither the Fusengbuwa Ruling House nor the government has secured a judicial victory on the substantive dispute.
What remains clear is that the succession of the next Awujale has moved beyond the traditional and administrative arena into a formal legal contest — one that could ultimately provide important judicial clarification on the law, custom and governmental authority surrounding the selection of the next paramount ruler of Ijebuland.
The people of Ijebuland will now await the next chapter on September 23, 2026.
PHOTO CAPTION
Cross-section of leaders and members of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and other stakeholders during the hearing of the suit challenging the alleged stoppage of the selection process for the next Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland at the Ogun State High Court, Ijebu-Ode.
— Femi Mebude | Ijebu Today | Today RadioTV Online Station | Igboro Lawa Update
