The fight over who will become the next Awujale of Ijẹbu Kingdom in Ogun State has intensified. Four members of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House have taken legal action against 12 other family members.
The case was filed at the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu-Ode. The complainants are Abdulateef Owoyemi, the chairman; his deputy, Dokun Ajidagba; Vice Chairman Fassy Yusuf; and Secretary Jeremiah Salami, according to the Punch newspaper on Sunday.
They are challenging claims that money and other manipulations influenced the selection process for the next Awujale.
The lawsuit, numbered HCJ/167/2026, was filed on 16 September. The defendants include Olusegun “AK Black” Olusoga, Ridwan Oduneye, Muyiwa Adeleye, Taiwo Ajumo, Sikiru Oluwole, Kehinde Lawal, Lukman Oludare, Abdul Onalaja, Ashiru Mufutau, Osiyemi Johnson, Adeleke “Leke Adeyemi” Adeyemi, and Olukayode Otufale.
They want N1 billion from the defendants, claiming that the accusations of financial inducement and misconduct against them and their family are false.
Court Injunction Request
The complainants also want the court to permanently stop the defendants from acting as leaders or representatives of the ruling house.
They said this situation arose from a meeting on 7 November 2025. This meeting followed a gathering of different factions at the Ogun State Governor’s Office on 6 November.
The three separate sections, represented by Mr Owoyemi, Mr Ajidagba, and Mr Yusuf, were combined into one ruling house. They stated that all members agreed to recognize these three as the leaders of the new structure.
Mr Owoyemi, a former National President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, is the head. Mr Ajidagba and Mr Yusuf serve alongside him.
The group then took charge of coordinating the nomination of candidates for the vacant Awujale stool on behalf of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House. They submitted the nominees’ names to the Awujale kingmakers, led by Sunny Kuku, the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland.
Disputed Committee Formation
The claimants allege that a faction of the family, made up of eight of the defendants, split from the main ruling house. They claim this faction formed a fact-finding committee in June without proper authority.
This faction investigated claims of financial inducement against the ruling house leadership and presented their findings at a meeting on 9 August.
The claimants said this meeting did not have approval from the ruling house. Yet, the faction used it to declare that Mr Owoyemi, Mr Ajidagba, and Mr Yusuf were removed as family leaders.
They further allege that the defendants informed government officials about this decision in a letter dated 11 August.
The letter was sent to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Ganiyu Hamzat, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dare Alebiosu, Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government, and the kingmakers.
The claimants say the defendants told these officials not to recognize or do business with them on behalf of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House.
Invalid Changes
The faction sent another letter on 2 September to the governor, the commissioner, the kingmakers, and other stakeholders. This letter announced Olukayode Otufale as the “Single Unified Olori-Ebi.”
The claimants argued that the changes were not valid because there was no lawfully convened meeting to decide on such matters.
They insisted that no proper resolution had been passed to remove them or install anyone else in their place.
They also want the court to stop the defendants from acting as heads and principal officers of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House before the state government and the public.
Seeking Legal Recognition
They claim that failing to restrain the defendants could harm their interests and disrupt the process of selecting the next Awujale of Ijebuland.
The complainants ask the court to recognize Mr Owoyemi as the rightful Olori-Ebi and Chairman, while Mr Ajidagba, Mr Yusuf, and Mr Salami should hold the positions of Deputy Chairman, Vice Chairman, and General Secretary.
They want the court to declare that the alleged fact-finding committee and the meetings of 9 August and 2 September had no legal power to remove or replace them.
They also want the court to strike down the alleged removal from office stated in the 11 August letter.
Background of the Dispute
This legal action follows a petition from Wasiu Adesanya, a member of the Funsegbuwa Ruling House. He accused some individuals of trying to skip the proper process for selecting candidates for the Awujale throne.
Mr Adesanya, represented by lawyer Wahab Shittu, wrote to the Ogun State Executive Council on 8 January through the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
In his petition, Mr Adesanya claimed that some members of the ruling house tried to introduce processes that did not follow the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law or the existing chieftaincy declaration for the Awujale stool.
The throne became vacant in July 2025 after the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona, who died at age 91 after 65 years on the throne.
The Ogun State Government suspended the selection process in January 2026 after receiving complaints from security agencies and other stakeholders. This followed an earlier halt in December 2025 over concerns about the selection process.
Before the government paused the exercise, the ruling house had submitted 95 aspirants during its December nomination exercise in Ijebu-Ode. This list included 94 princes and one princess.
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