Ogun State has reconstituted the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council, or AIAC, and said the group styling itself as the Adele Oba Awujale has neither legal standing nor customary authority in Ijebuland.
Government reaffirms AIAC’s mandate
The state said the council was reconstituted after reports that several members had withdrawn from the body originally formed in August 2025. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Ganiyu Hamzat, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Hamzat said the departures did not nullify the AIAC, which he described as the sole legally recognised institution authorised to oversee Ijebuland’s administrative and traditional matters until a new Awujale is selected and installed.
- Chief Chris Okunowo publicly rejected claims that he was part of a mass withdrawal from the council.
- Alhaji Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, also publicly distanced himself from the reported collective exit.
Alternative group has no basis in state law
On the emergence of the Adele Oba Awujale group, the commissioner said neither the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration nor Ogun State’s Obas and Chiefs Law of 2021 establishes such a body or gives it responsibilities over the Awujale stool.
He added that certain former members had cited the Chiefs Law of 1957, but said that legislation pre-dated independence and is no longer applicable in Ogun State. The state has operated under its own legal framework since 1976, he said.
The government also pointed to a consent judgment of the Ogun State High Court in case HCJ/180/2025, Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, versus the Executive Council of Ogun State and 16 others. It said the ruling confirmed both the legality of the AIAC and its authority.
- Every party to the case consented to the judgment, the government said.
- The ruling determined that AIAC authority prevails where its duties conflict with the traditional functions of the Olisa.
- No appeal has been filed against the judgment, leaving it in force and binding on the parties.
Warning over unofficial dealings and succession process
While recognising that individuals may leave the council, the Ogun State Government cautioned the public against conducting official transactions with former members presenting themselves as representatives of a separate organisation.
It also called on those who left the AIAC to avoid conduct that could weaken the rule of law or disturb peace in Ijebuland during the succession period.
The reconstituted council is led by Chief Rasheed Adesanya, Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, as chairman. Chief Chris Okunowo, Bobasuwa, will serve as secretary.
- Prof. Jide Ajayi, Jagun Aso, is a member.
- Chief Stephen O. Bakare, Babalaje, is a member.
- Chief Alade Shote, Otun Balogun, is a member.
The government said the reconstituted AIAC will remain responsible for its assigned duties until a new Awujale is appointed and crowned, reiterating its support for legal due process and an orderly, peaceful transition.
