Ogun Reconstitutes Awujale Interregnum Council, Names Adesanya Chairman, Okunowo Secretary

The Ogun State Government has reconstituted the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council (AIAC), naming the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, Chief Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, as Chairman and Chief Chris Okunowo (Bobasuwa) as Secretary.

The reconstitution, announced in a statement issued on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat, is aimed at ensuring continuity in the administration of Ijebuland pending the appointment and coronation of a new Awujale.

The government maintained that the AIAC, established in August 2025, remains the only legally recognised administrative body authorised to oversee the administrative and traditional affairs of Ijebuland during the interregnum.

The development follows reports of the withdrawal of some members of the council amid disagreements surrounding the emergence of a group reportedly known as Adele Oba Awujale.

However, the government clarified that the reported withdrawal of some members did not invalidate the council, adding that Chief Chris Okunowo and Alhaji Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya had publicly dissociated themselves from the reported mass withdrawal.

The reconstituted council comprises Chief Rasheed Adesanya (Olisa) as Chairman; Chief Chris Okunowo (Bobasuwa) as Secretary; Prof. Jide Ajayi (Jagun Aso) as member; Chief Stephen O. Bakare (Babalaje) as member; and Chief Alade Shote (Otun Balogun) as member.

Addressing the emergence of the Adele Oba Awujale group, the government declared that the body had no legal or customary recognition under the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration or the Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State 2021.

According to the statement, neither the existing chieftaincy declaration nor the state’s chieftaincy legislation provides for an Adele Oba Awujale group or assigns it any recognised responsibility in the management of the Awujale stool.

The government also dismissed reliance on the Chiefs Law of 1957 by some former members, explaining that the pre-independence legislation no longer applied to Ogun State, which had operated under its own laws since its creation in 1976.

To further establish the legal standing of the AIAC, the government cited a consent judgment delivered by the Ogun State High Court in suit number HCJ/180/2025, involving Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, against the Executive Council of Ogun State and 16 others.

It stated that all members of the council were parties to the suit and had consented to the judgment, which affirmed the legality, validity and authority of the administrative body established by the state government to oversee the affairs of Ijebuland pending the appointment and coronation of a new Awujale.

The government further explained that the court affirmed that where there was a conflict between the responsibilities of the administrative body and the traditional functions of the Olisa, the authority of the administrative body would take precedence.

It added that the judgment had not been appealed and remained binding on the parties.

While acknowledging the right of individual members to withdraw from the council, the government insisted that such a decision could not confer legal authority on another body to assume the responsibilities of the AIAC.

Consequently, it warned members of the public against engaging in official transactions or administrative dealings with individuals who had withdrawn from the council in their purported capacity as members of an alternative administrative body.

The government also urged former members to refrain from actions capable of violating existing laws or undermining the peace and stability of Ijebuland.

It reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the rule of law, respecting traditional institutions and ensuring a peaceful and transparent process in the succession to the vacant Awujale stool.

The reconstituted council, the government said, would continue to discharge its legally recognised administrative and traditional responsibilities until a new Awujale is appointed and crowned.