The Ogun State Government has reconstituted the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council (AIAC), insisting that it remains the only legally recognised body to oversee the administrative and traditional affairs of Ijebuland until a new Awujale is appointed and crowned.
The move follows the reported withdrawal of some members from the council, which the government set up in August 2025, amid disagreements over the emergence of a group reportedly called Adele Oba Awujale.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ganiyu Hamzat, said the withdrawal of some members did not invalidate the council.
He noted that Chief Chris Okunowo and Alhaji Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, had publicly distanced themselves from the reported mass withdrawal.
Adele Oba Awujale “has no recognition”
The government declared that the Adele Oba Awujale group has no legal or customary recognition. It said neither the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration nor the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021 provides for such a body or assigns it any role in managing the Awujale stool.
It added that the Chiefs Law of 1957, which some former members reportedly cited to justify the group, is a pre-independence law that no longer applies in Ogun State, which has operated under its own laws since its creation in 1976.
Court judgment
The government also relied on a consent judgment of the Ogun State High Court in suit number HCJ/180/2025, filed by Adesanya against the Executive Council of Ogun State and 16 others, which it said affirmed the legality and authority of the AIAC.
According to the statement, all council members were parties to the suit and consented to the judgment. The court also held that where the council’s responsibilities conflict with the traditional functions of the Olisa, the council’s authority prevails. The government stressed that the judgment has not been appealed and remains binding on the parties.
While acknowledging that individual members are free to withdraw, the government said such decisions cannot give legal authority to any other body to take over the council’s duties. It warned the public against conducting official transactions with those who withdrew, in their purported capacity as members of an alternative administrative body, and urged them to avoid actions that could breach the law or threaten peace in Ijebuland.
New members
To ensure continuity, the government named the reconstituted council as follows:
- Chief Rasheed Adesanya, Olisa of Ijebu-Ode – Chairman
- Chief Chris Okunowo, Bobasuwa – Secretary
- Prof. Jide Ajayi, Jagun Aso – Member
- Chief Stephen O. Bakare, Babalaje – Member
- Chief Alade Shote, Otun Balogun – Member
The government said the council will continue to discharge the administrative and traditional responsibilities of the AIAC until a new Awujale is installed. It reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law, respect for traditional institutions and a peaceful, transparent succession process for the vacant stool.
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