AWUJALE: COURT REASSIGNS RULING HOUSE SUIT OVER STALLED SELECTION

An Ogun State High Court sitting in Ijebu-Ode has ordered that a suit filed by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House over the stalled selection of the next Awujale of Ijebuland be returned to the administrative judge for reassignment.

The vacation judge, Justice A.A. Omoniyi, said he would begin his annual vacation within the next week and might not return to duty until January 2027.

Justice Omoniyi said he recognised the urgency of the case but had limited time to continue hearing the matter before proceeding on vacation.

The court consequently ordered that the case file be returned for reassignment and adjourned the matter until September 23, 2026, for further hearing.

The Fusengbuwa Ruling House had taken the Ogun State Government, Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Awujale kingmakers and others to court over the suspension of the process for selecting the next Awujale.

Counsel to the ruling house, Olusegun Otayemi, said all 15 defendants had been served and that the family was ready to proceed with the case.

The ruling house accused the state government of interfering with the selection process after it had already begun.

According to the family, the selection process was deliberately stopped despite the ruling house completing its nomination process within the period prescribed by law.

The chairman of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Abdulateef Owoyemi, said the family waited for seven months for the selection process to continue before deciding to seek legal intervention.

He said the family could not continue waiting indefinitely for the appointment of a new Awujale.

The Awujale stool became vacant in July 2025 following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona, who died at the age of 91 after spending 65 years on the throne.

The Ogun State Government halted the selection process in January 2026, citing petitions and security concerns.

A total of 95 aspirants, including 94 princes and one princess, had emerged from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House nomination process before the selection process was suspended.