By our Reporter
The crisis surrounding the selection of a new Awujale of Ijebuland took a fresh twist on Tuesday as the Ogun State Government announced the reconstitution of the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council, reaffirming its legal authority to oversee the administrative and traditional affairs of Ijebuland pending the appointment and coronation of a new Awujale.
The decision reportedly followed the withdrawal of some members of the council, established by the state government in August 2025, amid disagreements over the emergence of a group known as the Adele Oba Awujale in Council.
It will be recalled that traditional chiefs in Ijebu-Ode and members of the AIAC recently resolved to dissolve the council and transition into the Adele Oba Awujale in Council to oversee the affairs of the ancient town pending the emergence of a substantive Awujale.
The decision was reportedly reached at a meeting involving the Ilamuren, Pampa, Odi and other chiefs of Ijebu-Ode, where the traditional leaders unanimously adopted a resolution mandating members of the AIAC to step down from their existing positions and become members of the newly constituted Adele Oba Awujale in Council.
According to the resolution signed by the Chairman of the Adele Oba Awujale in Council, Dr Sonny Kuku, the chiefs said the decision to transition from the interregnum administration to the Adele Oba Awujale in Council was informed by their consideration of the existing traditional and statutory frameworks governing the Awujale chieftaincy institution.
The statement added that the 14-member 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).
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 chiefs described the arrangement as a recognised traditional administrative structure designed to ensure continuity and stability in Ijebu-Ode while the process of producing and installing a substantive Awujale continues.
However, in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Ganiyu Hamzat, the state government maintained that the withdrawal of some members did not invalidate the AIAC.
To ensure continuity in the administration of Ijebuland during the interregnum, the government announced the reconstitution of the council with Chief Rasheed Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, as chairman; Chief Chris Okunowo, the Bobasuwa, as secretary; and Prof. Jide Ajayi, Jagun Aso; Chief Stephen O. Bakare, Babalaje; and Chief Alade Shote, Otun Balogun, as members.
The government said the reconstituted council would continue to discharge the legally recognised administrative and traditional responsibilities of the AIAC until a new Awujale was appointed and crowned.
“The withdrawal of some members did not invalidate the council, which remained the only legally recognised administrative body empowered to manage the affairs of Ijebuland during the interregnum,” the government said.
further clarified that “Chief Chris Okunowo and Alhaji Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, had publicly dissociated themselves from the reported mass withdrawal.”
Addressing the emergence of the Adele Oba Awujale group, the government declared that “the body had no legal or customary recognition under the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration or the existing chieftaincy legislation in Ogun State.”
It further stated that “neither the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration nor the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021 makes provision for an Adele Oba Awujale group or assigns it any recognised responsibility in the management of the Awujale stool.”
The statement further explained that the Chiefs Law of 1957, which some former members reportedly relied upon to justify the emergence of the group, was a pre-independence legislation that no longer applied to Ogun State, which had operated under its own laws since its creation in 1976.
The government also cited a consent judgment delivered by the Ogun State High Court in Suit No. HCJ/180/2025, involving Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya (the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode) against the
Executive Council of Ogun State and 16 others, as judicial affirmation of the legality and authority of the AIAC.
It noted that all members of the council were parties to the suit and had consented to the judgment, which acknowledged the legality, validity and authority of the administrative body established by the state government to oversee the administrative and traditional responsibilities of Ijebu-Ode pending the appointment and coronation of a new Awujale.
The government further recalled that the court affirmed that, where there was a conflict between the responsibilities of the administrative body and the traditional functions of the Olisa, the authority of the administrative body would take precedence.
It stressed that the judgment had not been appealed and remained binding on the parties.
While acknowledging the right of individual members to withdraw from the council, the government maintained that such decisions could not confer legal authority on another body to assume the responsibilities of the AIAC.
Consequently, it warned members of the public against engaging in 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 contravening the law or undermining the peace and stability of Ijebuland.
It reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the rule of law, respecting established traditional institutions and ensuring a peaceful and transparent process in the succession to the vacant Awujale stool.
