A vacation judge of the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu-Ode on Wednesday directed that a lawsuit challenging the suspension of the process to choose a new Awujale of Ijebuland be sent back to the administrative judge for reassignment. Justice A. A. Omoniyi cited his impending annual leave as the reason he could not continue with the matter.
The suit, numbered HCJ/149/2026 and filed on 21 August 2026 by the Fusengbuwa ruling house, names Governor Dapo Abiodun, the state Attorney-General, other government officials, and the Awujale kingmakers as defendants. It contests what the claimants describe as an improper halt to the selection of a successor to the late Oba Sikiru Adetona.
Justice Omoniyi, sitting in Court 3, told the parties he would begin his vacation within a week and might not return until January 2027. Although he recognised the urgency of the case, the limited time available left him no practical option but to return the file for reallocation. He adjourned proceedings to 23 September for further hearing.
Counsel for the Fusengbuwa ruling house, Otunba Olusegun Otayemi, informed the court that all 15 defendants had been served and that the claimants were ready to proceed. Otunba Kunle Kalejaiye, SAN, appearing for the seventh to fifteenth defendants (including the kingmakers), said his clients were still within the time allowed to file responses. A state counsel, W. A. Onawole, announced appearance for the governor and several other official defendants.
The kingmakers attended the hearing, led by Olorogun (Dr) Sunny Kuku, the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland. Also present were Otunba Abdulateef Owoyemi, chairman of the Fusengbuwa ruling house, his deputy Otunba Adedokun Ajidagba, and vice-chairman Professor Fassy Yusuf.
Speaking after the sitting, Otayemi said the action was brought because the selection process had been deliberately stopped after it had already begun. “The law, as we know it, does not permit a deliberate stoppage,” he stated. “Yes, if there are things that cause delays here and there, that can be excused, but not a deliberate, orchestrated stoppage.” He added that Ijebu-Ode should not remain without a traditional ruler for an extended period.
Owoyemi explained that the ruling house had waited seven months after completing its nomination steps within the statutory timeframe. “Immediately we delivered the papers to the kingmakers; they only had seven days to complete the process and appoint an Awujale,” he said. “From nowhere, a letter came asking that the whole thing be stopped because of what they called petitions, which we never saw.” He noted that religious leaders in Ijebuland had also sought unsuccessfully to engage the governor on the issue.
The claimants seek declarations on whether the state government had authority to lock the Awujale palace on 20 January 2026 in a manner that prevented the kingmakers from meeting, and whether the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State permits the government to suspend the nomination process under any pretext. They also ask the court to affirm that the ruling house fulfilled its obligations under Section 16 of the 2021 law once it completed its internal nominations within the prescribed period.
Oba Sikiru Adetona died in July 2025 at the age of 91 after 65 years on the throne. The selection process was first suspended in December 2025 over procedural concerns and then fully halted in January 2026 following petitions from security agencies and other stakeholders. Before the halt, the Fusengbuwa ruling house had produced a list of 95 aspirants, 94 princes and one princess, from its nomination exercise held in Ijebu-Ode.
The case file will be returned to the administrative judge for reassignment. The matter is listed for further hearing on 23 September 2026.
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