The Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode has ordered the reassignment of a suit filed by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House over the suspension of the process for selecting the next Awujale of Ijebuland.
The vacation judge, Justice A.A. Omoniyi, made the order on Wednesday, explaining that he would soon proceed on his annual vacation and might not resume until January 2027.
The suit, marked HCJ/149/2026, was filed on August 21, 2026, against Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, nine Awujale kingmakers and other government officials.
Omoniyi said although he was aware of the urgency of the matter, his limited time before the commencement of his vacation made it difficult for him to hear the case to conclusion.
He consequently directed that the case file be returned to the administrative judge for reassignment and adjourned the matter until September 23 for further hearing.
At the proceedings, counsel to the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Olusegun Otayemi, informed the court that all 15 defendants had been served with the court processes and that his clients were prepared to proceed.
However, Kunle Kalejaiye (SAN), who represented the seventh to 15th defendants, including the kingmakers, said they were still within the period allowed by law to respond to the suit.
State counsel, W.A. Onawole, who represented Governor Abiodun, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and other defendants, also told the court that their responses would be filed within the stipulated period.
Speaking with journalists after the sitting, Otayemi said the ruling house went to court because it believed the selection process had been improperly halted.
He said, “We’ve brought an action essentially because there was a stoppage of the selection process after it had been initiated. The law, as we know it, does not permit a deliberate stoppage.”
According to the lawyer, while unforeseen circumstances could cause delays, the selection process should not be deliberately suspended.
He added, “This matter is something that has some urgency in it. Ijebu-Ode cannot remain kingless for so long. And that’s one of the reasons why we are in court.”
The Chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Abdulateef Owoyemi, said the family had waited several months for the selection process to resume before deciding to seek judicial intervention.
Owoyemi said the ruling house completed its nomination exercise within the timeframe prescribed by law and subsequently submitted the necessary documents to the kingmakers.
“We waited for seven months. We had only 14 days by the law to do what we have done. And we did it within 10 days,” he said.
He alleged that the process was later suspended following a letter citing petitions and security reports, which he said the family had not been given access to.
“From nowhere, a letter came asking that the whole thing stop because of what they call petitions, which we never saw. We don’t know who wrote the petitions, the security report which we have never seen a copy of till today’s date,” Owoyemi said.
He said several religious and community leaders had attempted to engage the governor over the matter but that the family could not continue waiting indefinitely.
The ruling house is asking the court to determine whether the state government had the legal authority to halt the nomination and selection process for the next Awujale.
It is also challenging the alleged entry into and locking of the Awujale Palace on January 20, 2026, which the claimants said was intended to prevent the kingmakers from meeting to complete the selection process.
The claimants further want the court to determine whether the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law 2021 permits the government to suspend the selection process “under any guise.”
The Awujale stool became vacant following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona in July 2025 at the age of 91, after more than six decades on the throne.
The state government suspended the selection process in January 2026, citing petitions from security agencies and other stakeholders, after an earlier suspension over procedural concerns in December 2025.
Before the suspension, 95 aspirants—94 princes and one princess—had reportedly emerged from the nomination exercise conducted by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House in Ijebu-Ode.
