The succession crisis surrounding the vacant stool of the Awujale of Ijebuland has taken another legal dimension as the Adele Oba Awujale-in-Council has dragged Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, and members of the state-reconstituted Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council (AIAC) before the High Court.

The suit, marked HCJ/201/2026, was filed at the Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode by the traditional council led by the Adele, Olo’rgun Dr Sonny Kuku, who is also the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland.

The plaintiffs are challenging the establishment and reconstitution of the AIAC, describing the arrangement as alien to the customs, traditions and ancestral administrative structure of Ijebu-Ode.

They are asking the court to declare the Adele Oba Awujale-in-Council the sole and historically recognised traditional authority empowered to oversee the traditional and local administrative affairs of Ijebu-Ode during an interregnum.

The plaintiffs also want the court to declare that neither the Ogun State Chiefs Law nor applicable customary law empowers the governor and other government authorities to establish an administrative council capable of replacing or sidelining the traditional Adele system.

They are further seeking an order setting aside the reconstitution of the AIAC and the appointments of its five members, describing the exercise as illegal, unconstitutional, irregular, null and void.

The suit also seeks a permanent injunction restraining the governor, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and other relevant authorities from interfering with the customary administrative functions of the Adele-in-Council.

In addition, the plaintiffs have filed a motion on notice seeking interlocutory injunctions to stop the AIAC members from holding meetings or exercising traditional, civil and financial administrative powers over Ijebu-Ode pending the determination of the substantive suit.

They are equally asking the court to restrain the state government from recognising, dealing with or funding the disputed council while the case remains pending.

Speaking on the development, Kuku said the lawsuit was not intended to interfere with the selection of a new Awujale but to preserve the cultural heritage and traditional administrative structure of Ijebuland.

He explained that the succession process had reached the stage of deliberation by the kingmakers on a candidate selected from the 95 names submitted to them. 

He added that the council had earlier advised Governor Abiodun on the Adele tradition before the initial AIAC was constituted.

Kuku maintained that the Adele system, historically led by the Ogbeni Oja, was as old as the Awujale institution itself.

He cited the emergence of Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona in 1960, arguing that the then Premier of the Western Region, Chief S.L.A. Akintola, did not establish an interregnum administrative council before the monarch's installation.

The latest litigation follows the establishment of an interim administrative body by the Ogun State Government in August 2025 after the transition of Oba Adetona in July 2025.

Traditional kingmakers and chiefs subsequently rejected the arrangement and adopted the Adele Oba Awujale-in-Council, prompting the government to announce a reconstituted AIAC.

The Awujale succession process has also been affected by other court cases, including suit HCJ/149/2026 filed by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House against Governor Abiodun and the kingmakers over the suspension of the selection exercise, as well as suit HCJ/167/2026 arising from an internal leadership dispute within the ruling house, involving a N1 billion defamation claim. 

Fuji musician Otunba Wasiu Olasunkanmi Ayinde Adesanya, popularly known as K1 De Ultimate, has also approached the court over alleged irregularities in the selection process.

Meanwhile, the selection exercise has been suspended twice by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs following petitions, financial allegations and security concerns.

Despite the controversies, Governor Abiodun has assured stakeholders that a new Awujale will emerge peacefully before May 29, 2027, while the Adele-in-Council has urged the people of Ijebuland to remain calm and law-abiding as the court determines the latest dispute.