The quest for a successor to the late Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, has entered another phase, with the High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode returning the legal battle over the stalled succession process to the administrative judge for possible reassignment.
Justice A. A. Omoniyi of Court 3, Ogun State High Court, who is sitting as a vacation judge, made the interim ruling on Wednesday in Suit No. HCJ/149/2026 instituted by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House against Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, members of the Awujale Afobaje Council and other government officials.
The judge explained that he was due to commence his annual vacation within a week and might not resume until January 2027, making it impracticable for him to commence and substantially progress the case within the limited period available.
Justice Omoniyi consequently ordered that the case file be returned to the administrative judge for reallocation. He fixed September 23, 2026, for the matter to come up before the appropriate judge.
The decision was taken despite the acknowledgement of the urgency attached to the matter, which was filed on August 21, 2026, by the leadership of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.
Earlier, counsel to the ruling house, Otunba Olusegun Otayemi, informed the court that all 15 defendants had been served with the court processes and that the claimants were prepared to proceed.
Otunba Kunle Kalejaiye, SAN, who appeared for the seventh to 15th defendants, representing the kingmakers, alongside Stephen Abolaji Okoya, said the defendants were still within the period allowed for them to respond to the claims.
A state counsel, W. A. Onawole, also announced his appearance for Governor Abiodun, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, and other government defendants. He told the court that the defendants would file their responses within the stipulated time.
The proceedings were witnessed by members of the Awujale Afobaje 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 in court by its Chairman, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi; Deputy Chairman, Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba; and Vice Chairman, Prof. Fassy Yusuf.
The case stems from a dispute over the decision of the Ogun State Government to halt the process of selecting a new Awujale after the Fusengbuwa Ruling House had conducted its internal nomination exercise.
Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, Otayemi said the ruling house went to court because the selection process had allegedly been stopped after it had already commenced.
He argued that while circumstances could sometimes cause delays in a traditional succession process, a deliberate stoppage, in the view of the ruling house, required legal intervention.
Otayemi stressed that the matter was urgent because of the prolonged vacancy of the Awujale stool.
“Ijebu Ode cannot remain kingless for so long. And that’s one of the reasons why we are in court,” he said.
The lawyer maintained that the Fusengbuwa Ruling House’s position was that the government should allow the recognised kingmakers to perform their statutory functions in accordance with the applicable chieftaincy law.
He said the process for the appointment of a recognised chief was governed by the Chiefs Law and operated within specific timelines.
For the chairman of the ruling house, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, the prolonged delay had become unacceptable to the family.
Owoyemi said the ruling house waited for seven months before undertaking the stage of the process assigned to it, adding that after the family completed its nomination exercise, the necessary documents were delivered to the kingmakers.
According to him, the ruling house completed its own aspect of the exercise within 10 days, although the law provided 14 days, after which the kingmakers were expected to proceed with their own statutory responsibilities.
Owoyemi alleged that the process was subsequently halted following a letter referring to petitions and a security report.
He complained that the ruling house had neither seen the petitions nor been given a copy of the security report allegedly relied upon in stopping the process.
“We’ve been waiting for 7 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!” he said.
He added that the family could not continue waiting indefinitely and had therefore turned to the court for intervention.
The suit seeks judicial determination of several issues surrounding the government’s alleged intervention in the succession process.
Among other reliefs, the claimants want the court to determine whether the Ogun State Government had the legal authority to order or facilitate the alleged entry into and locking of the Awujale Palace on January 20, 2026, in a manner that allegedly prevented the kingmakers from meeting to continue the selection process.
The ruling house is also asking the court to determine whether the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law permits the state government to halt the nomination or selection of an Awujale “under any guise.”
Another issue before the court 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 obligation under Section 16 of the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021.
The defendants in the suit include Governor Dapo Abiodun; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN; the Ogun State Executive Council; the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat; the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, Dare Alebiosu; and the Secretary of the local government.
Also joined are members of the Awujale Afobaje/Kingmakers Council, including 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 legal action is linked to the succession crisis that followed the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona in July 2025 at the age of 91, after 65 years on the throne.
Following his death, the Awujale stool became vacant and the succession process commenced within the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.
The December 2025 nomination exercise produced 95 aspirants, comprising 94 princes and one princess, before the process was halted by the Ogun State Government.
The government had cited petitions from security agencies and stakeholders as part of the reasons for the intervention, following an earlier suspension of the process over procedural concerns in December 2025.
The ruling house has challenged the stoppage, insisting that the statutory process should be allowed to run its course, while the government’s position remains part of the issues to be determined in the legal proceedings.
With Justice Omoniyi returning the file to the administrative judge and September 23 fixed for the next mention, attention has now shifted to the reassignment of the case and the eventual judicial handling of the substantive issues surrounding the succession of one of Ijebuland’s most revered traditional institutions.
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