Ogun reconstitutes the Awujale Interregnum Council, names Rasheed Adesanya chairman and rejects the rival Adele Oba Awujale group amid a growing succession dispute
Awujale Crisis: Ogun Reconstitutes Council, Names Rasheed Adesanya Chairman
By Newsheadline247
The Ogun State Government has reconstituted the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council (AIAC), reaffirming its authority over the administrative and traditional affairs of Ijebuland amid an escalating disagreement with traditional chiefs over the management of the vacant Awujale stool.
The development, announced on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, follows the reported withdrawal of some members of the council established in August 2025 and the emergence of an alternative traditional administrative body known as the Adele Oba Awujale in Council.
Under the new arrangement, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, Chief Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, has been appointed chairman of the five-member council, while Chief Chris Okunowo, the Bobasuwa, will serve as secretary.
Other members are Professor Jide Ajayi, the Jagun Aso; Chief Stephen O. Bakare, the Babalaje; and Chief Alade Shote, the Otun Balogun.
The state government said the reconstitution was necessary to ensure continuity in the administration of Ijebuland pending the selection, appointment and coronation of a substantive Awujale.
Hamzat maintained that the withdrawal of some members of the original council did not invalidate the AIAC, which the government considers the only legally recognised administrative body authorised to oversee Ijebuland during the interregnum.
In a strong rejection of the alternative Adele Oba Awujale in Council, the commissioner said the group lacked legal and customary recognition under the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration and Ogun State’s existing chieftaincy legislation.
The government argued that neither the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration nor the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021 provides for such a body or assigns it responsibilities in managing the vacant traditional stool.
It also dismissed reliance on the Chiefs Law of 1957, describing it as pre-independence legislation that no longer applies to Ogun State, which has operated under its own legal framework since its creation in 1976.
To reinforce its position, the government cited a subsisting Ogun State High Court consent judgment in Suit No. HCJ/180/2025, involving Chief Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, against the Ogun State Executive Council and 16 others.
According to the government, the judgment affirmed the legality, validity and authority of the AIAC, with members of the council among the parties to the case.
Hamzat further maintained that the court had established that the council’s administrative authority takes precedence where its responsibilities conflict with the traditional functions of the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode.
The government said the judgment had not been appealed and remained binding on the parties.
It also disclosed that Adesanya and Okunowo had publicly dissociated themselves from the reported mass withdrawal of members, explaining their subsequent appointment to lead the reconstituted council.
However, the government’s announcement comes against the backdrop of a disagreement among Ijebu traditional chiefs over the appropriate structure for administering the community in the absence of a substantive Awujale.
Earlier, a group of traditional chiefs resolved to dissolve the existing interregnum arrangement and transition into a new body known as the Adele Oba Awujale in Council.
The decision reportedly followed deliberations involving the Ilamuren, Pampa, Odi and other traditional chiefs of Ijebu-Ode, who argued that their proposed arrangement was consistent with the customs, traditions and applicable chieftaincy framework governing Ijebuland.
The chiefs maintained that the Ogun State Chiefs Law of 2021 does not expressly establish an Awujale Regency Council or prescribe a general procedure for appointing a regent during an interregnum. They also cited the 1957 Chiefs Law and the relevant traditional declaration in support of their position.
The alternative 14-member body was presented by its proponents as a traditional administrative structure designed to maintain continuity and stability in Ijebu-Ode while the process of selecting a new Awujale continues.
The competing positions have therefore exposed a disagreement over the legal and customary basis for administering Ijebuland during the transition.
While acknowledging the right of individual members to withdraw from the AIAC, the Ogun State Government insisted that such decisions could not automatically transfer the council’s statutory responsibilities to another group.
Hamzat consequently warned members of the public, institutions and corporate organisations against conducting official transactions or administrative dealings with individuals who had withdrawn from the council while presenting themselves as representatives of an alternative administrative body.
He also urged the former members to avoid actions capable of violating the law, undermining existing traditional institutions or threatening peace across Ijebuland.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the rule of law, protecting traditional institutions and ensuring a peaceful and transparent succession process.
The unfolding disagreement has added another dimension to the transition following the death of the long-reigning Awujale, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, in July 2025, leaving Ijebuland awaiting the emergence and installation of a new paramount ruler.
