Awujale Succession Crisis Worsens As Ogun Govt, Traditional Chiefs Lock Horns

The succession crisis rocking the vacant throne of the Awujale of Ijebuland in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, has intensified following fresh clashes among the Ogun State Government, traditional kingmakers, and the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.

The stool became vacant in July 2025 following the death of Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, aged 91, after a 65-year reign.

LEADERSHIP findings show that unless the legal argument between the 1957 Chiefs Law of Ogun State being relied upon by the Ijebu chiefs and the year 2021 Law being relied upon and cited by the state government is reasonably resolved, aspirations of the Ijebu people of Ogun East Senatorial District of having a legally recognised Awujale of Ijebu-Ode and Paramount ruler of Ijebuland may not be realised soon.

With particular reference to suit nos. HCJ/180/2025 and HCJ/149/2026, filed by the Fusengbuwa ruling house, were clearly resolved through a court pronouncement; whoever emerges as the new Awujale of Ijebu-Ode and Paramount ruler of Ijebuland will be challenged in court for years.

This is because there are two councils: the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council (AIAC) and the Adele Oba Awujale in Council, which are already slugging it out over who is actually in charge as the Ijebu people try to select a new Awujale for the town.

This has, however, forced Ijebuland, one of the most respected traditional kingdoms in Yorubaland, into a state of limbo more than a year after the former highly revered monarch, Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona joined his ancestors.

LEADERSHIP reliably gathered that the real crisis is not just about who becomes the next Awujale; rather, the big question is who is legally authorised to run the affairs of Ijebuland between the reconstituted AIAC and the Adele Oba Awujale-in-Council while the stool is vacant.

Our correspondent reliably gathered that the succession crisis came to light when traditional chiefs in Ijebu-Ode announced the dissolution of AIAC and replaced it with a new body called the Adele Oba Awujale in Council.

In a resolution signed by the Chairman of the new body, Olorogun Dr Sonny Kuku, the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland, the chiefs declared that the Adele Oba Awujale in Council would serve as the recognised traditional administrative body for the management of the affairs of Ijebu-Ode pending the emergence and installation of the new Awujale.

The chiefs premised their decision on the customs and longstanding cultural practices of the Ijebu people, particularly those governing the Awujale chieftaincy institution.

They said their position was firmly rooted in ancient customs, established cultural practices and time-honoured traditions, adding that such was intended to protect the integrity of the institution until a new Awujale emerges.

But dissatisfied, the Ogun State government rejected the move and reconstituted the AIAC, declaring that the Adele Oba Awujale in Council has no legal or customary recognition under the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration or the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law, 2021.

In a statement issued in Abeokuta, the State capital and signed by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat said the withdrawal of some members did not invalidate the AIAC, which was created in August 2025.

Hamzat insisted that AIAC remained the only legally recognised administrative body empowered to manage Ijebuland during the interregnum.

The government further cited a consent judgment in Suit No. HCJ/180/2025, which it says affirmed the AIAC as the only legal body. Ijebuland is therefore left with two bodies claiming the same authority, with some of the same chiefs named in both lists.

The division among the chiefs themselves has made the crisis worse. The Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, Chief Rasheed Adesanya, and the Bobasuwa, Chief Chris Funmilola Okunowo, have publicly dissociated themselves from the mass withdrawal, yet they were also listed as members of the Adele Oba council. Ijebu cannot go into a selection process with a divided Afobaje council.

Observers and concerned members of the Funsegbuwa ruling house have, however, called for an urgent separation of the interim administration, which is responsible for superintending the day-to-day affairs of the palace, from the selection process responsible for picking the next Awujale as part of the way forward.

A male member of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, who spoke with LEADERSHIP in Abeokuta on condition of anonymity, said the two must not be mixed “and the interim body must be given a written, limited mandate with no power to nominate, screen or favour any aspirant.

“To move forward, the government and the ruling house must now agree on whether that list of 95 stands or a fresh, transparent nomination will be done, and they must publish a clear timetable. Governor Dapo Abiodun has already promised that a new Awujale will emerge before 29 May 2027, and stakeholders say that promise must be backed with action.

“There is also the need for independent screening to address allegations of bribery and sale of expression of interest forms, which are already under investigation by the DSS and the Police. Without transparency, whoever emerges will be dogged by suspicion and litigation”.

“In the end, stakeholders agree that because this is both law and custom, a purely legal solution will leave bitterness. Eminent Ijebu elders, former judges and religious leaders must mediate between the Sonny Kuku group and the Olisa group to produce a single recognised interim council with a limited mandate, plus a court-cleared, time-bound and transparent selection process.

“If Ijebu tries to select a new Awujale while two councils are fighting over who is in charge, the emergence will remain in limbo — and the eventual winner will be challenged in court for years”.