Awujale: Ogun govt reconstitutes interregnum council

…names Adesanya, Okunowo as chairman, secretary

The Ogun State Government has reconstituted the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council (AIAC) with a mandate to oversee the administrative and traditional affairs of Ijebuland pending the selection, appointment, and coronation of a substantive Awujale.

This was contained in an official statement issued on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat.

The development follows the reported resignation and transition of some council members—previously led by Olor’ogun Dr. Sonny Kuku—into an alternative body styled the “Adele Oba Awujale in Council” less than 24 hours earlier.

The decision to step aside was reached during a meeting involving the Ilamuren, Pampa, Odi, and other traditional titled chiefs in Ijebu-Ode.

The Ogun State Government had initially constituted the AIAC in August 2025, approximately one month after the demise of the late Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, who passed away on July 13, 2025. Chief Oluwaranti Lekan Osifeso (Madassa) served as the secretary of that council.

According to the commissioner, the reconstitution became necessary following the reported withdrawal of some members. The state government, however, clarified that the exit of some individuals does not invalidate the AIAC, which remains the sole statutory administrative organ empowered to manage the affairs of Ijebuland throughout the interregnum.

The government noted that Chief Chris Okunowo and Alhaji Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, had publicly dissociated themselves from the mass withdrawal.

Addressing the emergence of the self-styled Adele Oba Awujale group, the government declared that the body lacks legal or customary foundation under both the registered Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration and the extant chieftaincy statutes in the state.

The statement emphasized that neither the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration nor the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021 recognizes an “Adele Oba Awujale” council or assigns it any role in administering the vacant stool.

It further clarified that the Western Region Chiefs Law of 1957, which some former members cited to justify their action, is a pre-independence statute that ceased to apply to Ogun State, which has operated under its own codified laws since its creation in 1976.

The government cited a binding consent judgment delivered by the Ogun State High Court in suit number HCJ/180/2025—between Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya (the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode) and the Executive Council of Ogun State alongside 16 others—as judicial confirmation of the authority of the AIAC.

It noted that all members of the council were parties to the suit and formally consented to the judgment, which affirmed the legality, validity, and executive authority of the administrative body created by the state government to manage the affairs of Ijebu-Ode pending succession rites.

The government recalled that the court explicitly ruled that in the event of any conflict between the duties of the administrative council and the traditional functions of the Olisa, the authority of the administrative body takes precedence. It added that the judgment had not been appealed and remains fully subsisting.

While acknowledging the personal right of individual members to step down, the government maintained that their resignations could not confer statutory powers on a parallel body to usurp the mandate of the AIAC.

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Consequently, the state government warned the public, institutions, and corporate entities against having any official transactions or administrative dealings with the former members under the guise of an alternative administrative structure.

It also cautioned the aggrieved chiefs against taking actions capable of breaching public peace, flouting court decisions, or undermining stability in Ijebuland.

To guarantee administrative continuity across Ijebuland, the government announced the reconstituted membership of the council as follows:

1. Chief Rasheed Adesanya (Olisa of Ijebu-Ode) – Chairman
2. Chief Chris Okunowo (Bobasuwa) – Secretary
3. Prof. Jide Ajayi (Jagun Aso) – Member
4. Chief Stephen O. Bakare (Babalaje) – Member
5. Chief Alade Shote (Otun Balogun) – Member

The government affirmed that the reconstituted council will continue to exercise the administrative and traditional duties of the AIAC until a new Awujale ascends the throne.

It reiterated its resolve to uphold the rule of law, preserve respected traditional institutions, and guarantee a peaceful, transparent succession process to the vacant Awujale stool.