Fusengbuwa Ruling House Asks Court to Restart Awujale Selection Process

The Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Ijebu-Ode has asked the Ogun State High Court to order the state government and Awujale kingmakers to resume and conclude the process of selecting a successor to the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona.

The Awujale stool became vacant after Oba Adetona died on July 13, 2025, aged 91. Following his death, 95 members of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, comprising 94 princes and a princess, indicated interest in succeeding him.

The state government later cancelled the selection process on December 11, 2025, directing the ruling house to restart the exercise in line with the law and avoid further litigation. On January 6, 2026, the government subsequently cleared the ruling house to resume the process.

The process was suspended again on January 20, with the government directing the ruling house and the Awujale Kingmakers’ Council to await further instructions. The government said the suspension was intended to protect peace and preserve the integrity of the traditional institution.

The dispute has now moved to court. In suit number HCJ/149/2026, filed at the High Court of Justice, Ijebu-Ode Judicial Division, the ruling house is challenging the government’s intervention and the alleged closure of the Awujale Palace by security personnel.

The claimants allege that police officers entered the palace shortly after midnight on January 20, less than 24 hours after the nomination list had been submitted, preventing the kingmakers from meeting to select a candidate from the 95 nominees. They are seeking declarations that the alleged interference was unlawful and that the government lacked the authority to stop the process.

The suit also names the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, among the defendants. The claimants allege that Hamzat later petitioned the Eleweeran Police Station in Abeokuta over allegations of bribery and financial inducement involving members of the ruling house and kingmakers. The ruling house says no evidence supporting the allegations was presented and maintains that police and DSS investigations did not establish wrongdoing.

The claimants are asking the court to declare that the nomination process was validly completed and that the kingmakers have a statutory duty under Section 16(1)(e)-(f) of the relevant chieftaincy law to select a candidate and forward the name to the State Executive Council. They also argue that Section 22 requires the Executive Council to act on the kingmakers’ selection.

Among other reliefs, the ruling house wants the court to order the kingmakers to reconvene within seven days of judgment and complete the selection process. It is also seeking an injunction preventing the state government and security agencies from further interfering with the exercise.

The case, filed on August 21, 2026, is yet to be heard. The claims made in the suit remain allegations until determined by the court.