There is no legal or customary legitimacy for the alleged Adele Oba Awujale clan, thus the Ogun State Government reconstituted the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council, AIAC.
Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat, commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, issued a statement on Tuesday explaining that the government had to reconstitute the council since some of its members had allegedly withdrawn after it was first formed in August 2025.
While the new Awujale is being appointed and coronated, Hamzat stated that the withdrawal does not render the AIAC null and void. The AIAC is the sole legally acknowledged entity with the authority to oversee the administrative and traditional affairs of Ijebuland.
The olisa of Ijebu-Ode, Alhaji Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, and Chief Chris Okunowo had officially distanced themselves from the purported mass pullout, he revealed.
The commissioner addressed the formation of the Adele Oba Awujale group and stated that the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration and the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021 do not establish or delegate any authority to such a body within the stool.
He went on to say that Ogun State has been operating under its own laws since 1976, so the Chiefs Law of 1957, which some former members are relying on, is irrelevant.
In support of the AIAC’s legitimacy and power, the government referred to a consent judgement issued by the Ogun State High Court in the case HCJ/180/2025 – Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya (Olisa of Ijebu-Ode) vs Executive Council of Ogun State & 16 others.
The judgement, which stated that the AIAC’s authority takes precedence in cases where it conflicts with the Olisa’s traditional functions, was also unanimously approved by all members.
According to it, the ruling is still binding since no one has appealed it.
Despite recognising members’ right to withdraw, the government cautioned against doing official business with those who withdrew while pretending to be members of another group.
In addition, it strongly advised the ex-members not to do anything that could make the situation in Ijebuland more dangerous.