Ogun govt, Ijebu Chiefs clash over Awujale Council as succession crisis deepens
…State reconstitutes AIAC, insists Adele Oba Awujale group lacks legal backing
By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta
A fresh controversy has erupted over the administration of Ijebuland following the decision of the Ogun State government to reconstitute the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council (AIAC), barely a day after traditional chiefs in Ijebu-Ode announced the dissolution of the council and its replacement with the Adele Oba Awujale in Council.
The development has exposed a disagreement between the state government and some traditional authorities over the appropriate legal and customary structure for administering Ijebuland pending the appointment and coronation of a new Awujale.
While the government insists that the AIAC remains the only legally recognised administrative body authorised to oversee the affairs of Ijebuland during the interregnum, the traditional chiefs maintain that the Adele Oba Awujale in Council is rooted in the customs and established traditional practices of the Ijebu people.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat, the state government said the withdrawal of some members of the AIAC did not invalidate the council or confer legal authority on another body to take over its responsibilities.
The government described the AIAC, established in August 2025, as the only legally recognised administrative structure empowered to manage the administrative and traditional affairs of Ijebuland until a new Awujale is appointed and crowned.
It specifically clarified that Chief Chris Okunowo and Alhaji Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, had publicly dissociated themselves from the reported mass withdrawal from the council.
Dismissing the emergence of the Adele Oba Awujale in Council, the government maintained that the body had no legal or customary recognition under the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration or the existing chieftaincy laws of Ogun State.
According to Hamzat, neither the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration nor the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law 2021 makes provision for an Adele Oba Awujale group or assigns it any recognised responsibility in the administration of the vacant Awujale stool.
The government also faulted the reliance on the Chiefs Law of 1957 by some former members to justify the emergence of the new body, arguing that the legislation was enacted before Nigeria’s independence and no longer applied to Ogun State, which had operated under its own laws since its creation in 1976.
To support its position, the state government cited a consent judgment delivered by the Ogun State High Court in suit number HCJ/180/2025, involving Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, against the Executive Council of Ogun State and 16 others.
It said the judgment affirmed the legality, validity and authority of the AIAC as the administrative body established by the government to oversee the affairs of Ijebu-Ode pending the appointment and coronation of a new Awujale.
The government noted that all members of the council were parties to the suit and had consented to the judgment.
It further stated that the court had affirmed that where there was a conflict between the administrative responsibilities of the AIAC and the traditional functions of the Olisa, the authority of the administrative body would take precedence.
The statement added that the judgment had not been appealed and remained binding on the parties.
Although acknowledging the right of individual members to withdraw from the council, the government warned that such a decision could not confer legal authority on another group to assume the functions of the AIAC.
It consequently cautioned members of the public against conducting official transactions or administrative dealings with individuals who had withdrawn from the council in their purported capacity as members of an alternative administrative body.
The government also urged the former members to refrain from actions capable of violating the law or threatening peace and stability in Ijebuland.
Consequently, it announced the reconstitution of the AIAC to ensure continuity in the administration of the ancient town.
The reconstituted council comprises Chief Rasheed Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, as Chairman; Chief Chris Okunowo, Bobasuwa, as Secretary; Prof. Jide Ajayi, Jagun Aso; Chief Stephen O. Bakare, Babalaje; and Chief Alade Shote, Otun Balogun, as members.
The government said the council would continue to discharge its legally recognised administrative and traditional responsibilities until a new Awujale was appointed and crowned.
……..Chiefs insist on traditional authority
However, the government’s position came against the backdrop of a resolution adopted on Monday by traditional chiefs in Ijebu-Ode to dissolve the AIAC and replace it with the Adele Oba Awujale in Council.
The resolution was reached at a meeting involving the Ilamuren, Pampa, the Odi and other traditional chiefs of Ijebu-Ode, where the leaders reportedly agreed that members of the existing AIAC should step down from their positions and assume membership of the newly constituted body.
The state government had established the AIAC in August 2025, about a month after the death of the 91-year-old Awujale, Oba Sikiru Adetona, in July 2025, to manage the administrative and traditional affairs of Ijebuland during the transition period.
The initial administrative arrangement was chaired by Chief Folorunso Kuku, the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland and co-founder of EKO Hospital, Lagos, who is also designated as one of the Ilamuren.
But in a resolution signed by the Chairman of the Adele Oba Awujale in Council, Olo’rgun Dr Sonny Kuku, the traditional chiefs said their decision to replace the AIAC was informed by their interpretation of the existing traditional and statutory frameworks governing the Awujale chieftaincy institution.
They argued that the Ogun State Chiefs Law 2021 did not expressly establish an Awujale Regency Council or prescribe a general procedure for appointing a regent during an interregnum.
The chiefs, however, maintained that the Chiefs Law and the 1957 Declaration provided a framework for recognising customary arrangements, including the traditional institution of the Adele Oba Awujale in Council.
The resolution stated: “Upon consideration of the applicable traditional and statutory framework, it was observed that the Ogun State Chiefs Law of 2021 does not expressly establish an Awujale Regency Council, nor does it prescribe a general procedure for the appointment of a Regent.”
It added: “It was further noted that the Chiefs Law and Declaration of 1957 provide an existing framework within which customary declarations are made and recognised, including the traditional institution of the Adele Oba Awujale in Council.”
Explaining the decision to replace the AIAC, the chiefs said: “In view of the foregoing, a motion was moved and unanimously adopted that all members of the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council (AIAC) should formally step down from their existing positions and transition into the Adele Oba Awujale in Council.”
They further declared that the new body would assume responsibility for the administration of Ijebu-Ode during the interregnum.
“Consequently, the Adele Oba Awujale in Council shall henceforth assume responsibility for the administration of the affairs of Ijebu-Ode during the interregnum and exercise, on an interim basis, such administrative powers and functions as may appropriately be required in the absence of the Awujale, subject to applicable laws and established customs and traditions,” the resolution stated.
The 14-member Adele Oba Awujale in Council comprises Dr Sonny Kuku, who holds the Ogbeni Oja title; Chief Rasheed Adesanya, Olisa; Chief O.B. Okuboyejo, Obasewa; Chief Chris Funmilola Okunowo, Bobasuwa; and Chief Prof. Jide Ajayi, Jagun Aso.
Other members are Chief Oluwaranti Lekan Osifeso, Olootu Olowa; Chief Jimi Lawal, Olotu Ifore; Chief Kunle Ogunade, Apebi; Chief Mrs B.O. Osibogun, Iyalode; Chief Adegoke Balogun, Jaginrin; Chief Agboola Alausa, Balogun; Chief Abimbola Okenla, Kakanfo; Chief Adebisi Adaran, Ogbeni Odi Awujale; and Chief Ayotunde Ola Odulaja, Lapoekun.
The traditional leaders described the arrangement as a recognised customary administrative structure designed to ensure continuity and stability in Ijebu-Ode while the process of selecting and installing a substantive Awujale continues.
“The Adele Oba Awujale in Council shall henceforth serve as the recognised traditional administrative body for the management of the affairs of Ijebu-Ode throughout the interregnum, in accordance with applicable laws, customary practices and the established traditions of Ijebuland,” the statement declared.
The chiefs also maintained that their decision was anchored on the customs and longstanding cultural practices of the Ijebu people, particularly those governing the Awujale chieftaincy institution.
“Our position is firmly rooted in the ancient customs, established cultural practices and time-honoured traditions of the Ijebu people, particularly as they relate to the Awujale Chieftaincy Institution,” they stated.
They added that the resolution was intended to protect the integrity of the traditional institution and preserve the historical framework of Ijebuland until a new Awujale emerges.
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