Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode yesterday returned a suit seeking the resumption of the stalled process for selecting the next Awujale of Ijebuland, to the court’s administrative judge for reassignment.
The vacation judge, Justice A. A. Omoniyi of Court 3, said he was due to begin his annual vacation within a week and might not resume until next January, making it impracticable for him to continue with the case.
The suit, filed by Fusengbuwa Ruling House against Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, the nine Awujale kingmakers and other government officials, seeks to compel the completion of the selection process for the vacant traditional stool.
Justice Omoniyi acknowledged the urgency of the matter, but said he was constrained by the limited time available to him before his vacation.
He consequently ordered, as an interim measure, that the case file be returned to the administrative judge for reassignment, while adjourning the matter till September 23 for further hearing.
Counsel for Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Olusegun Otayemi, had told the court that all 15 defendants had been served with the court processes and that the claimants were ready to proceed with the case.
However, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Otunba Kunle Kalejaiye, who announced his appearance for the seventh to 15th defendants, including the kingmakers, said the defendants were still within the period allowed by law to respond to the suit.
A state counsel, W. A. Onawole, also announced his appearance for Governor Abiodun, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and four other defendants, saying the respondents would file their processes within the stipulated time.
The nine kingmakers were present in court, led by Olorogun (Dr.) Sunny Kuku, co-founder of EKO Hospital and Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland.
Also present were Chairman of Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi; his deputy, Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba; and the vice chairman, Prof. Fassy Yusuf.
Speaking with reporters after the proceedings, Otayemi said the ruling house instituted the action to challenge what it described as government interference in the selection of the next Awujale.
He said the selection process had already begun before it was halted, arguing that the law did not permit an arbitrary or deliberate stoppage.
According to him, while unforeseen circumstances could cause delays, the selection process could not be deliberately suspended without lawful justification.
Otayemi said the matter was urgent because of the prolonged vacancy on the Awujale throne.
‘This matter is something that has some urgency in it. Ijebu-Ode cannot remain kingless for so long. And that’s one of the reasons why we are in court,’ he said.
Owoyemi said the family decided to seek judicial intervention after waiting for seven months for the process to resume.
He said the ruling house had completed its statutory obligation within the period prescribed by law, only for the process to be halted after the government reportedly cited petitions and security reports.
‘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,’ Owoyemi said.
He alleged that the ruling house had not been given copies of the petitions or security reports cited as the basis for halting the process.
According to him, religious and community leaders in Ijebuland had made efforts to secure the governor’s intervention, but without success.
‘We can’t wait forever! We have to approach the court for intervention,’ he said.
Fusengbuwa Ruling House had, in the suit marked HCJ/149/2026 and dated August 21, 2026, sued Governor Abiodun, Ogun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the state Executive Council, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Secretary of Ijebu-Ode Local Government and other parties.
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, allegedly to prevent the kingmakers from meeting and concluding the statutory selection process.
They are also asking the court to determine whether the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law 2021 permits the government to halt the nomination or selection of an Awujale ‘under any guise.’
The ruling house further wants the court to declare that, having convened its meeting and completed its internal nomination process within the period prescribed by law, it had fulfilled its statutory responsibility under Section 16 of the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021.
The defendants include members of the Awujale Afobaje/Kingmakers Council: Olorogun Sunny 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 Awujale stool became vacant in July 2025 following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona at the age of 91 after 65 years on the throne.
Ogun State Government halted the selection process in January 2026, citing petitions from security agencies and other stakeholders. This followed an earlier suspension of the process in December 2025 over reported procedural concerns.
Before the government halted the exercise, 95 aspirants – 94 princes and one princess – had reportedly emerged from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House nomination process conducted in Ijebu-Ode in December 2025.
The case has now been adjourned till September 23, when further proceedings are expected.