The Ogun State Government has reconstituted the Awujale Interregnum Administrative Council (AIAC), declaring that the purported Adele Oba Awujale group has no legal or customary recognition.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, explaining that the reconstitution followed the reported withdrawal of some members of the council, which was initially established in August 2025.
Hamzat maintained that the withdrawal of some members did not invalidate the AIAC, describing it as the only legally recognised body authorised to oversee the administrative and traditional affairs of Ijebuland pending the appointment and coronation of a new Awujale.
He further disclosed that Chief Chris Okunowo and Alhaji Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, had publicly dissociated themselves from the reported mass withdrawal.
Addressing the emergence of the Adele Oba Awujale group, the commissioner said neither the Awujale Chieftaincy Declaration nor the Ogun State Obas and Chiefs Law 2021 recognises such a body or assigns it any responsibility in the management of the Awujale stool.
He also dismissed reliance on the Chiefs Law of 1957, describing it as pre-independence legislation that no longer applies to Ogun State, which has operated under its own laws since 1976.
The government further cited a consent judgment delivered by the Ogun State High Court in suit number HCJ/180/2025, between Rasheed Adeoye Adesanya (Olisa of Ijebu-Ode) and the Executive Council of Ogun State and 16 others, as confirmation of the legality and authority of the AIAC.
According to the statement, all parties consented to the judgment, which also established that where the administrative responsibilities of the AIAC conflict with the traditional functions of the Olisa, the authority of the council takes precedence.
The government noted that the judgment had not been appealed and remained binding on all parties.
While acknowledging the right of individuals to withdraw from the council, the government warned members of the public against conducting official transactions with those who had withdrawn but continued to present themselves as members of an alternative administrative body.
It also urged former members to avoid actions capable of threatening law and order or disrupting the peaceful succession process in Ijebuland.
Under the new arrangement, Chief Rasheed Adesanya, the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode, will serve as Chairman, while Chief Chris Okunowo, Bobasuwa, will serve as Secretary.
Other members include Prof. Jide Ajayi, Jagun Aso; Chief Stephen O. Bakare, Babalaje; and Chief Alade Shote, Otun Balogun.
The government reaffirmed that the reconstituted council would continue to discharge its responsibilities until a new Awujale is appointed and crowned, assuring residents of its commitment to the rule of law and a peaceful succession process.
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